Blackwatch
by ihat3usernames
Summary: Tragedy struck Ichigo during the winter war. He quickly left Karakura after. Now in his twenties, he travels with two people, One with spiritual powers and a past of his own. Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

A ball of light broke the dark. The sun rose over the cliffs and canyons of the state of Arizona, covering the desert land with the orange light of dawn. Some of the dark fled into the safe haven of the canyons. Other fled behind the tall rocks forming shadows.

The light continued until it finally covered something juxtaposed to the desert, a camper van a mile away from the lone road and another mile away from the canyons. It was an old 90's Dodge xplorer that saw better days. The once white paint was now darkened to a very light tan from ages of dirt. The blue stripes that once proudly accompanied the sides of the van was now completely fragmented. Numerous parts were chipped and peeled age. Numerous scratches and dents accompanied the sides as if it passed through a storm. A fine layer of sand hugged the van.

The van's side doors were wide open. And sitting on the step with his legs stretching on the earth, was a man. He was a rather young man, no older than the early twenties. His appearance was rather unruly, his black hair unkempt as it was slightly spikey, and a thick 5 o clock shadow adorned his jaw and cheeks. Heavy bags were underneath his brown eyes as if he had one too many restless nights. The man was slightly tall, having an average build. However it was hard to tell his build due to the dirty brown long coat that he wore. Underneath the coat was a baggy brown shirt, and on his legs adorned faded blue jeans that went down to the heels of his boots.

The man stared as the sun rose over the canyons. While watching the spectacle he slowly brought a cup to his lips and took a swig of a homemade coffee that was incredibly bitter. He had a faint smile as he stared at the crimson sun. It was a personal ritual for him to see the sunrise, one that he performed since he was a child. He remembered those early days as a kid, waking up on the desert ground as he bathed in the new days light. Seeing the orange glow in the morning brought out many memories in him, some good, others bad, but all nostalgic.

He was about to take another swig of coffee when loud snores interrupted him. Turning he looked to the back of the van, where a full size bed was located. On top of the bed was a large mound, buried deep within the blankets. The snoring while loud was muffled, due to the blankets. The man silently thanked the heavens for that, as the person beneath the blankets could wake the dead by snoring. Many a night did that sound keep the man up, eroding the pillars that held his sanity, almost to the point of collapsing.

The man sighed as he turned to the front of the van. Both the driver's and passenger's seats were turned until they they met. A table was set low with a cushion on place to make a spare bed. The makeshift bed was occupied by another individual, almost completely covered in blankets like the other lump. The only thing visible of the person was a head of bright orange hair.

Another sigh exited the black haired man as he looked out the door to the sun. For years he travelled alone, until he met the two with him around 2 years ago. Both had the habit of taking over the van that was his. Both companions took over the beds, and he was relegated to sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. It was already hard for him to catch a good night's rest beforehand. Now it took forever to sleep.

The man sighed before finishing his mug of coffee. He started to push himself up from the steps as he retreated back into the van. He placed his mug in the sink near the door as he pulled out a new mug, and filled it with a new batch of coffee. He then walked to the front of the van until he hovered over the orange haired figure. It was hard waking the orange hair figure up. Every time the black haired man tried to, it always landed him with a black eye.

Another sigh left the man's mouth until he spoke with his slight gravel voice "Hey Ichigo, time to get up. I've got coffee." The silence from now identified Ichigo caused the man to be irritated as he raised his voice "Ichigo, up now!" More silence met the man and he was now short of yelling "Ichigo you dumbass, get up!"

Nothing but silence came from Ichigo. Ichigo didn't move or grumble, but instead just laid on the makeshift bed. The man's blood began to boil as his annoyance rose to the height of the canyons. Simply deciding that action spoke louder than words; the man raised his mug over Ichigo, before dumping the bubbling liquid onto the mop of orange hair.

A loud yell was heard and the blankets shot to the ceiling as Ichigo jumped from the bed before landing on the cold ground. Ichigo was revealed to be a man no younger than the former, but at the same time far taller. His orange hair was rather long, the back going down to his neck and his bangs meeting the tip of his nose. Ichigo sported a worn leather jacket with a yellow shirt underneath, followed by long jeans and a pair of brown boots.

The one thing that stood out with Ichigo besides his orange hair was the blindfold he wore. A long strip of brown leather was tied tightly around his eyes, making it impossible for any onlooker to see them. Somehow that didn't stop Ichigo from looking at the precise location of where the man who woke him up was.

As he stood up, Ichigo's face became red in anger as he shouted "What the hell do you think you are doing Chaim?!"

The now identified Chaim snorted as he answered "I'm waking your lazy ass up."

"You could have just told me to get up!"

"I did for 3 damn times! The last time I pretty much shouted!"

"Well how about giving me a light shake?!"

"After what happened last time?" Chaim was close to shouting again "Are you crazy? Sorry but I'd rather not get another black eye!"

"Well, you're about to get one now!"

Ichigo bolted like a track runner and tackled Chaim to the ground. The two tossed and turned on the ground, swinging and grappling each other. The scene resembled two children roughhousing. The scuffle then eventually shifted to Ichigo sitting right on top of Chaim, repeatedly punching him in the face. Despite wearing the blindfold Ichigo was still the superior of the two in hand to hand fighting, due to his his abnormally sharp reflexes and Chaim's rather weak skill at fisticuffs. And just as Ichigo promised, Chaim received another black eye.

"Will you two dumbasses knock it off?!"

Both Ichigo and Chaim stopped fighting as they looked over to the bed. Blankets now thrown to the ground, the lump was revealed to be a girl, still in her teens. She was rather average height, towered by the other two, and was of a slender build while also being rather athletic. Her hair was rather short and swept to one side only meeting her chin. She wore a black tank top and a black biker jacket, with some regular jeans and boots.

The most notable features were her eyes. Despite being slanted in the typical Asian fashion, they were baby blue and could hurt a person's eyes with how bright they were.

The girl looked at the two in anger as they slowly got up from the ground and shouted "How the hell is anyone supposed to get any sleep when you two dumbasses are having an MMA match in here?!"

It was Chaim who first spoke as he dusted himself off "Oh please, an MMA fight sounds like a whisper compared to your snoring."

The girl almost busted a blood vessel when she heard that "What did you say?!"

Ichigo decided to but in "He's right Aine. I woke up in a panic because I thought I heard the canyons crashing; only to find out that it was you snoring away."

"Now wait just a min-"

Chaim cut her off as he looked towards Ichigo "If the canyons did collapse it would be because Aine's snoring."

"Don't ig-"

"Her snoring can cause an earthquake." Ichigo responded.

"Hey y-"

Chaim chuckled "Not only an earthquake. Aine can destroy the tectonic plates with her snoring."

"THAT'S IT!" Chaim turned right back to Aine, whose face was red in both embarrassment and anger. "YOU'RE DEAD CHAIM!"

Aine then leapt from the bed and tackled Chaim while in the air. And just like the scuffle with Ichigo, it left Chaim straight on the floor being repeatedly punched by the shorter girl.

* * *

Half an hour passed, and Chaim was found locked outside the van as he sat on the hot desert ground. In addition to the black eye he was given from Ichigo, he now sported a rather large bump on the top of his head. The desert sun was now brightly shining down on the man, burning his skin. The sunburn was only a minor discomfort next to the burning shame that he lost in a fight to a man wearing a blindfold and a teenage girl.

Chaim heard the sound of footsteps behind him. They were very faint as if most people wouldn't hear them at all. Chaim knew it was Aine as she never put her weight on her feet, unlike Ichigo who sounded like an elephant walking around.

Aine's voice hit the back of Chaim's head "Hey Chaim, it's time for breakfast."

Chaim didn't respond. He stared at the canyons and sulked as his back was still towards Aine.

"Hello, earth to Chaim. Is anybody there?"

Still no answer

"Are you asleep?"

No response

Aine let out an audible whimper "Are you mad at me?"

Silence

"All right." Aine sighed "I'm sorry."

Motion stirred in Chaim as he then turned towards the teenage girl. "Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for hitting you."

"And?"

"And?" Aine seemed confused until she finally caught on and sighed "And I'm sorry for kicking you out of your own van."

Chaim said nothing, only got up and smiled at the teenager as he rushed back into his van. Aine sighed as she walked back into the van as well. When she entered she saw that Chaim was already at the table shoving a large portion of the breakfast that she made onto a plate. Most of the eggs, bacon, and hash browns were gone. The only thing Chaim left in abundance was the rice that was for both Aine and Ichigo.

Aine sighed as she saw Chaim sitting on the Driver's seat chair already back in place thanks to Ichigo. Chaim started to wolf down handfuls of food before he finally stuck his face into the plate. It resembled a pig eating out of troth. In the passenger's seat was Ichigo, who was eating far more mannerly with a pair of chopsticks that they bought.

Aine then turned to Chaim and lectured him "You can act like a child you know that? And what did I tell you about eating all the damn food?"

Chaim took his face from the plate and wiped his face clean of dirt with the sleeve of his coat. He stared at Aine before snorting "Sorry mother."

"Sometimes I wonder if I am considering that I have had to tend for a man-child these past two years."

"I was doing fine before I even met you two. Seriously why do I even let you two stay with me to begin with?"

Ichigo chimed in "Because you suck at fighting and need me as muscle."

Aine then smirked as she responded "Because you suck at cooking and need me to make edible food."

Chaim only grunted "You two can be major pains."

Aine gave a hearty laugh looking at the grumbling man. This insulting was something that was a constant between the three of them, a game of banter. Usually it resulted in Chaim grumbling as he got piled piled on from the other two. He always wondered why he continued to deal with it.

Chaim then sighed before turning towards Ichigo. His sigh stopped in the middle as he looked at the sight in front of him. Aine stopped laughing, a look of confusion on her face as she looked at chain before turning towards Ichigo. Ichigo was giving something particularly rare today. He was giving a smile. It was faint; most people wouldn't have seen it at all. But to Chaim and Aine, it was a full blown smile. Ichigo smiling was rare; He usually had that scowl on his face as if it was stuck there. So when the two saw him smile, it was a grand treat.

Both Chaim and Aine were taken out of their thoughts when Ichigo asked "Chaim? Aine?" Worry was audible in his voice at their sudden silence.

Aine only chuckled "Don't worry Ichigo, I'm just thinking how you don't look like a complete bum with a smile on your face."

The smile fell and Ichigo adopted that all too familiar scowl. A loud "Tch" was heard. Aine started to holler again, and even Chaim gave a chuckle.

Moments passed until Aine stopped laughing and she then spoke "Anyways, I need you to take me grocery shopping again Chaim."

Chaim groaned "Are you kidding me? You went last week."

"Well with such a little fridge we are limited to what we can pack."

"Well sorry but that's the fridge that came with the van."

"The fridge is not the problem. The problem is that your big appetite causes that limited supply to end up gone quick."

Chaim glared at her "What did you say?"

"I'm saying that you have the stomach of an elephant."

It was Chaim's turn to give a Tch. "Well you're going to have to make with."

"What do you mean make with? I'm not going to be eating that spam crap that you have in the cupboard."

"I hate to break this to you Aine" Chaim spoke in heavy sarcasm "But were pretty low on funds right now."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. We only have enough for gas right now."

"Didn't you have at least 800 dollars a month ago?"

"Yes"

"Then how the hell did you spend all of that in only a month?"

Chaim started to get angry "I didn't spend it! You did! Your shopping trips bleed me dry!"

Aine started to fume at that response "You're blaming me?!"

"Well let's see how much was spent on your last trip to the store. You spent 200 on food and another 100 on clothes."

Aine's face became blood red in anger as she glared at Chaim "You-"

"So what are we going to do about money problem?" Both Aine and Chaim turned back to Ichigo "You got an idea Chaim?"

Chaim sighed "We're going to drive to Phoenix. It's only an hour away from here. When we get there, we'll do some odd jobs until we get enough to leave."

"You'll mean you'll do some odd jobs and leave." Aine butted in.

"Nope. There are many places that will take you in for a job position, and I also pretty sure that Ichigo can find work there."

Ichigo scoffed "Yeah I'm pretty sure they'll let me work with my condition."

"You're little problem has never hindranced you when it comes to anything. They'll hire you."

"But why do I have to work?" Aine asked "I swear I should be paid for taking care of a man-child like you."

"Yeah, because spending 100 dollars on clothes was really taking care of me."

Aine said nothing. Instead she sat back on the bed and fumed. This caused Chaim to smile. Without any delay Chaim turned around to the driver's wheel and started the van up. A heavy stuttering was heard from the engine before the wheels started move. The van moved on the desert ground before moving onto the asphalt road, and finally driving down its long path. The canyons soon became barely visible in the drivers mirror. Bushes and stones on the desert sand whizzed past them as they went down the lonely road.

As Chaim predicted, it was an hour before they reached phoenix. The city was bustling and teeming with life, a complete juxtaposition to the barren desert outside. Numerous people were walking around. Many far more pristine vehicles passed by Chaim's beaten van.

Aine looked in awe "Damn this place is big."

Chaim chuckled "first time?"

"Hey, most of my life I was stuck in that damn orphanage."

Chaim became a little sheepish "Right sorry." He then turned to Ichigo "What about you Ichigo?"

Ichigo simply responded "Yeah, first time."

"Largest city in Arizona, 12th largest population in the states, There is a lot to do in this city."

"Including work?"

"Especially work." Chaim looked back to the road "So let's get job hunting."

* * *

Hours passed as the sun started to fall. Late dusk was etched into the sky, with only a few streaks of orange visible. The van drove through the dark, cutting it with its headlights, as the trio continued to drive.

Aine snorted " _Especially work. Let's get job hunting"_ heavy sarcasm dripped from her voice.

Chaim grunted "Shut up."

Things were not going well for the trio. Every time they applied for an odd job, they were turned down. The employers wanted employees with permanent residency. The idea of hiring a group of nomads was completely out of the question. They talked to more than 50 people during the day, only to be turned down completely. They were so desperate that they started to drive through the deserted parts of the city trying to find at least someone.

Ichigo then spoke "Well you screwed up everything today Chaim."

"You shut up too."

"What? You said we were going to get an odd job or two around here. Now we haven't got jack."

"Sorry! Last time I was here there were tons of jobs lined up I could take!"

"Well obviously there aren't any now!"

Chaim and Ichigo were getting ready to pounce on each other. They stopped when Aine then interjected "Maybe we should just go to another city and try there."

Chaim sighed "We can't. The van is on fumes and the gas money won't fill the tank enough to last us another trip outside the city."

"So were stuck here?"

"For right now yes."

Aine grabbed her head "Argghh. What are we going to do?!"

"I'm thinking!"

Ichigo then grunted "That's new."

"Didn't I tell you shut up?!"

Chaim was close to exploding. Today was just one of those days that everything went wrong. He didn't want to run out of gas. That would be like a ship without the wind. He didn't want to be dead in the water. Numerous thoughts rushed into his head. He searched for any possibility he could try and find. Desperately he kept thinking.

He stopped as something in the distance caught his eye, the only light in the far darkness. Driving to it he slowed down as he looked at the site. Right in front of an abandoned park was a large fight club. The light was the combination of a large flood light of a generator and the lights from many cars. Numerous men were there muscled up and shirtless ready for a fight, while a few good looking females were eyeing the scene. The current fight was between a freak, obviously roided up due to his Kimbo slice like physique, and another well-built individual. The freak was beating his opponent down, close to curb stopping him until numerous others pulled him apart. The freak started to cheer while the others tended to the seriously hurt loser.

Chaim started to grin as he pulled up to the spectacle parking right in front of it. He turned to see both confused looks of Aine and Ichigo.

This caused Chaim to grin even more "I got an idea follow me."

Chaim left the van. Moments later he heard his companions follow. As he walked up to the crowd, he saw the man in charge. He was a rather lanky man, bald headed and Hispanic. A small goatee adorned his face. He wore a cheap suit. He waved cash around shouting about betting on his fighters. A pistol was jammed into the front of his pants, larger than him and mainly used for intimidation factor. Right next to him was a knockout babe, Hispanic like him with long flowing hair. She wore rather skimpy clothing, a wife beater and daisy dukes.

Chaim walked up to the man, a grin on his face. The Hispanic didn't even take notice of him first. However when he did, the man smiled.

"Hey man" The Latino said "My names Stix. You want to make a bet on a fight, or maybe fight yourself?"

Chaim simply chuckled as he looked past Stix and to the victor "Is Kimbo there your strongest fighter?"

Stix laughed "You're not the first one to call him that. Yep Bear there is the strongest fighter in Arizona. One time he killed a guy in a bout. We're lucky he doesn't have claws otherwise he would maim every fighter."

"What are the odds on him?"

"Betting or fighting?"

"Fighting."

"Then there are no odds esse, only the pot. It's been growing for years now from fighters trying to constantly take him down."

"Really? How much?"

"Twenty G's.

"Shit, that much?"

"Yep, of course you have to add to it."

"How much is the fee then?"

"50 bucks."

Shit. That was all of the gas money. Yet for some reason Chaim felt rather confident about the risk.

"Can I pick one of my own fighters."

Stix raised his hands high in a shrug "Shit esse, pick however you want."

Chaim turned behind him to see where his two companions where. Both were standing in the crowd diverting some attention from the the ring. Some onlookers mocked Aine claiming that this was no place for a teenager. Others whispered at the ever scowling Ichigo, wondering why he wore the blindfold.

Chaim motioned his companions "Ichigo, Aine! Get your asses over here!"

Both moved without hesitation towards Chaim until they were standing on either of Chaim's sides. Chaim then turned back to Stix as he put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"This is Ichigo. He's going to be my fighter."

Stix looked at Ichigo examining everything about the man. He took a long hard glance at the blindfold before turning back to Chaim "Is this your idea of a joke essay?"

"Nope, Ichigo is a monster. And to make things even more interesting" Chaim's smirk turned deadly "I bet for double the pot that he can take down Bear with the blindfold on."

"And how do I know for a fact that that blindfold isn't see through?"

Chaim shrugged "If it bothers you that much, you can blindfold him with anything you want."

Stix smiled "Ok esse, double the pot but if you lose you owe me big." He then turned to Ichigo "Ichigo huh, follow me"

Stix walked off with his lady, as Ichigo followed shortly behind. They walked to one of the cars before Ichigo sat down on the hood, his back to Chaim. Chaim's eyes never left them, even when a certain nagging could be heard behind him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing Chaim?" Aine shouted "If we lose we are fucked!"

Chaim snorted "Oh please, we're going to be fine."

"Fine? Sending Ichigo to fight that maniac is fine?"

"Ichigo will pull through. That freak is no match for him."

Chaim tuned out any more of Aine's nagging as he looked at the three. Stix girl just took Ichigo's blindfold off. Both Stix and his girl looked at each other before looking back at Ichigo. Stix looked shocked to say the least as he started to wave his hand in front of Ichigo's face. Chaim smirked at the reaction Stix gave when Ichigo gave no response to the waving. Stix and his girl looked at each other, before putting Ichigo's blindfold back on. The three then walked back to Chaim, and Stix had a sly smile on his face.

"You crazy esse." Stix laughed "I guess that a new blindfold isn't needed." He then turned to the crowd before shouting "Oi listen up!" The crowd gathered around "Believe it or not, we got another crazy motherfucker trying to take his chance at Bear. This time however on two conditions. One, the pot has been raised."

Stix laughed at the gasps from the crowd "And two the challenger must be blindfolded." He pointed towards Ichigo. "This is Ichigo. This crazy motherfucker is going to try and take down Bear blindfolded."

The crowd erupted in laughter. The idea of fighting Bear without vision seemed suicidal. Ichigo said nothing, While Stix continued.

"So, here's what's up. For this night only I'm doubling the odds on this fight against Bear. Now who wants in?"

The crowd erupted. Some hollered. Others waved their money in the air. Stix's lady went and collected all the bets before handing them to her man. Then she went past him and collected two brief cases before turning to the crowd and opening both. There were large stacks for hundred dollar bills in both briefcases. It looked like a scene straight out of a movie. The crowd looked in awe.

Stix then yelled "There it is ladies and gentlemen, the legendary pot, times 2!" Stix's girl then closed both briefcases while Stix continued "Fighters get ready!"

The crowd formed a large circle all around them. Bear went to Stix, pumping up shouting. He seemed closed to hitting his chest like a primate. Ichigo simply took off his jacket and shirt before handing it to Aine.

"So I need to beat this Bear guy?" Ichigo asked as he turned to Chaim.

Chaim responded "Yep. Beat that roided up freak and we get 40,000 dollars."

"Alright. This will take only a minute."

Ichigo and Bear walked towards each other, the only things between them were foot of length and Stix whose hand was raised up high in the air. Silence followed. Time seemed to slow as Stix hand dropped.

And as it reached back down to the earth, Stix shouted "FIGHT!" before running into the crowd.

Bear was the first to move as he charged towards Ichigo. The plan was simple, take down the arrogant idiot down in a hold and beat his brains out. However everything backfired as Ichigo slipped to the champion's side, kicking his leg which caused him to fall face first on the ground.

The champion got up and screamed, charging at Ichigo and throwing a right hook to his face. The blow that could decapitate a man, was stopped when Ichigo shot a straight punch to Bear's face. Bear staggered back and tended to his broken nose.

Bear then looked at Ichigo who was grinning, before seeing red and charging at him. The large man kept punching and punching, unleashing numerous strikes that would reduce men to piles of goo, wanting to kill this smirking bastard. Ichigo however kept dodging. Each time a strike came he would slip to one side. The punch would only miss him by an inch.

The crowd looked on shocked, seeing a sight they thought was suicide. A man wearing a blindfold was fighting the unbeatable Bear, and holding his own rather well. Stix looked nervous, like the deal went south. Chaim and Aine however smiled, not because of the money. It was always a treat to see Ichigo fight. It was the only time that he ever looked alive, the only time he ever felt at peace.

Ichigo decided to stop dodging and intercepted the next punch with one of his own. Ichigo's fist connected with the inside of Bear's forearm. A large snapping sound was heard, and Bear howled in pain before somehow shrugging it off and charging at Ichigo in pure fury. This time Ichigo didn't move and let the large man grab him. Ichigo shifted his weight, used Bear's momentum, and in a pure form of skill, he threw giant man three feet from him.

Bear started to get up ready to get Ichigo yet again. However when he saw him, Ichigo was already close to him. He was soaring in the air, his foot centimeters from Bear's face.

A large cracking sound was heard, and Bear fell to the ground. His eyes rolled back into his head while he was bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth. Silence filled the air. The crowd was frozen stiff save for one brave person who kneeled down to check on Bear.

The crowd member sighed in relief before saying "It's alright. He's only unconscious."

A large sound of thunderous applause came after. Many praised Ichigo shouting thanks for bringing the bastard down. Chaim started to laugh as he and Aine walked towards their friend.

"Good job Ichigo" Chaim laughed as he patted Ichigo on the back "You did well."

"Thanks" Ichigo smiled.

Chaim walked away from his friend, who was putting back on his shirt and jacket. Chaim walked towards Stix, who had a glint of murder in his eye.

Chaim chuckled "Well Stix, seem like the bet payed off. I'll be taking the pot, times 2."

Stix could only spit at the man in front of him "Fuck you asshole! I aint paying anything!"

Chaim stopped laughing and began to frown "So you're breaking the agreement?"

"You're the one who broke the agreement asshole! You cheated!"

Chaim sighed "How did I cheat. Ichigo beat Bear blindfolded which was the bet."

"He could see through the blindfold!"

"No he couldn't. And even if he could we gave you the ability to change the blindfold to one of your choosing. Yet you didn't change his blindfold for whatever reason."

"I thought he couldn't see!"

Chaim sighed "Well that was just a stupid assumption now wasn't it? Either way we won and didn't cheat so if you'd give me the money..."

Stix pulled out his pistol and aimed it right towards Chaim. The crowd screamed and dispersed running off in any direction, getting in their cars and taking off, afraid that they were going to get shot. Both Ichigo and Aine tensed, coiled, ready for action.

Stix laughed as he gave a smug grin towards Chaim "You got anything else stupid to sa-"

Stix stopped in his tracks and visibly winced when he saw Chaim's face. Chaim's expression darkened a great deal to the point that he was wearing the shadows as a mask. He glared at Stix, his eyes suddenly so piercing and… terrifying. Stix started to sweat as Chaim glared at him.

"So Stix" Chaim spoke slowly "Are you going to break your deal? Because I hate assholes that break their deals."

Stix gulped but chuckled nervously "So what are you going to do about it asshole?"

"Last chance Stix."

Stix said nothing. His finger moved on the trigger and started to slowly pull.

 _*SCHWING*_

The gun dropped and Stix started to scream as massive pain shot through his hand. He instinctively tried to grab it only to be blocked by some object. Looking down his eyes widened at the object blocking him from tending his hand.

It was a cleaver, sticking in his hand where the thumb meets the rest of the fingers.

Stix fought through pain as he turned to where the cleaver was thrown. He saw Aine, her hand extended after throwing the cleaver, another one in her off hand.

Immediately Stix's girl dropped the two cases and ran towards the gun. Aine immediately moved and was two quick for Stix's girl. She was already in front of her before she even touched the gun. Aine did a swift chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out, before turning back to Stix.

Stix screamed and tried to get away, slowly crawling back. However Aine pinned him down to the ground with her foot. She juggled the cleaver in her hand as she stared down at the man who was now pissing himself.

Before she could do anything however, Chaim kicked her in the back of the head, pushing her off of Stix. Aine immediately got up and glared at Chaim. Stix immediately stood up and ran screaming in the night, leaving the pot behind.

"What the hell are you doing Chaim?!" Aine shouted "You let him get away!"

Chaim only snorted "Sorry but I'm not letting you waste another cleaver on some lowlife." Chaim then walked towards the two briefcases and picked them up. "Besides we got the pot. There's no point killing him."

"Well there was no reason to kick me!"

"That was only minor compared to the stuff you did to me today"

"I apologized for that!"

"Whatever. We got what we need. Let's go."

With that the trio got into their bus and drove off into the night.

* * *

It was pitch as the van drove down the deserted streets of the abandoned parts of phoenix. Eventually Chaim pulled up to a parking lot and stopped the van. It was good enough of a place to make camp as any. Chaim doubted that Stix would come back. And even if he did, the three of them could take care of anything that came their way. Chaim looked towards his two companions. Aine was reading a book, and Ichigo was sitting quietly.

Chaim then cleared his throat and got their attention "Well then, what do you two want to do?"

Ichigo asked "What do you mean?"

"Do we want to stay in Phoenix for a while, or do we want to leave first thing tomorrow?"

Aine answered "I vote for staying."

Ichigo responded in surprise "Well that was quick."

"While we were looking for a job, I saw something that caught my eye."

"And that is?"

"There is a book signing here in Phoenix. And guess who is going to be there?"

Chaim guessed "The author of the book you're holding right?"

"Yep. I really have to ask him something about this book. Something about it has been plaguing my mind."

"All right, when is this book signing happening?"

"Tomorrow."  
Chaim went a little wide eyed "tomorrow?"

"Yep. Talk about a coincidence huh?"

"All right then. We'll stay in Pheonix for a little whi-"

Chaim stopped when a large ripping sound was heard. A heavy sigh exited his mouth as he spoke

"Great just my luck."  
"Chaim?" Chaim turned to Ichigo "You ok?"

"Nope. A Garganta just opened right above us."

"How many?"

"From what I'm sensing… around 20, all lower class ones."

Aine then chuckled "Ahhh does Chaim hate having to be the supernatural exterminator."

"Oh piss off." Chaim then stood up before opening the van door "I'll be back in a few minutes."

And with that Chaim walked out of the van, and looked up in the sky. The sky itself was ripped open and numerous monsters flew from the tear. They were all hideous beings ranging from small to big, adorning numerous unique disfigurements. However there was one constant. They all wore a skull shaped mask, and they all had a hole in their chest.

The monsters landed on the ground. Each one stared at Chaim, sizing him up like he was just a slab of meat. This caused Chaim to sigh. Of course they were here for him. Chaim sighed and looked for a place that he could lead them in order to keep Ichigo and Aine from being involved. It was then he saw an abandoned warehouse at one end of the lot. It would have to do.

Chaim then turned back to the monsters and shouted "Attention Hollows! Would you please follow me to that warehouse so we could get everything underway?"

Chaim then started to walk to the warehouse before entering. The hollows looked confused at first, but quickly shook that off as they entered the warehouse, after their prey.

As the last one entered, a gunshot filled the air, followed by a large crash. Several more gunshots were heard with the sound of metal colliding with each other. Now standing outside of the warehouse was both Ichigo and Aine, waiting for their friend.

"Hey Aine?" Ichigo asked "I know that you can't see spirits, only the outlines, but can you try your best to explain what is happening with the hollows?"

Aine watched the spectacle as she tried to explain "Well from what I can gather. Most of them must be dead, because I'm seeing blurs rip through the roof, only to disappear after being shot."

Ichigo said nothing. He instead faced the warehouse as if he was able to watch the spectacle. It was honestly tough knowing that his friend was fighting things that devoured souls but he couldn't do anything.

Because he could no longer see ghosts.

Ichigo was cut from his thoughts when he heard Chaim's voice.

"What are you two doing out here?"

Ichigo said nothing. Aine only looked on at her friend walking out of the warehouse, who now had a large black decorative 1911 in his hand.

"We were making sure you didn't get eaten." Aine spoke out mockingly.

Chaim rolled his eyes "Please, when you have ever seen me lose to some low level hollow?" He then walked past his friends "Well I'm beat. How about we catch some shut eye?"

They didn't respond. They simply turned around and followed Chaim back into the van.

* * *

 **This is an idea that I've had in my head for a while. I wanted to at least write a chapter down of it.**

 **I'm not sure if I might continue it, so don't get your hopes up.**

 **The reason this is under western is because there will be numerous characters in this story well be inspired or will have characteristics of the taken from Spaghetti westerns (the best type of western).**

 **And before people get worried I will still be updating The Dark Shinigami. I already have a few pages of the latest chapter written down. Like before it has to do with whether or not I'm interested enough to continue writing it.**


	2. Chapter 2

The night sky was littered with hundreds of stars. The natural light of the moon shone on the city of Phoenix, clashing with the artificial glow of the thousands of lights in the city. It was a peaceful sight, both serene and comforting.

Yet it wasn't helpful in getting Chaim to sleep. Right now instead of in the sleeping bag, he found himself sitting in a small wooden chair next to the driver's seat. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a pocket watch. It was of shockingly high quality. The outer shell was made of pure gold, and had numerous decorations engraved on the front. Right in the center of the gold cover was a decoration of a muzzle loading pistol facing left.

Chaim quickly shook his head as he opened the cover and looked at the time. Currently it was 2:00 in the morning. He took a long deep sigh when he realized that.

"No doubt it will happen again tonight." He whispered to himself "It always happened when I have to fight a hollow."

Hearing ruffling, Chaim turned to see Aine. The once sleeping girl was now standing in the middle of the van. She looked directly at Chaim. Her typical look of anger was gone. In its place was a face of worry.

She whispered "Has it happened yet?"

Chaim shook his head "Not yet, but I'm sure it will."

"I hope not."

"I do to but considering the track record…it's safe to say it's going to happen."

"You're right, it's just…" Aine turned away "I can't stand to see Ichigo like that."

"I know…"

As soon as Chaim finished, the van was filled with a large pained cry from Ichigo as he shouted

"TATSUKI!"

Both Chaim and Aine turned to see Ichigo sitting up. His skin was an eerie pale. A layer of sweat clung to his skin. And his mouth gave an expression of absolute horror. He breathed heavily, hyperventilating as if he had a panic attack.

Aine bolted towards her orange hair friend and as quickly as she got up, it Aine embraced Ichigo in a hug. Aine tried to hug him as warmly as possible, one that she imagined that a mother would give to her children. She kept slowly shushing him as she started to pat him on the head.

"It's alright Ichigo." Aine whispered in his ear "You were just having a dream. It's alright."

She kept repeating herself as she slowly rubbed the back of her friends head. Slowly but surely he started to slow his breathing. Listening to his friend he quickly realized where he was. Before Aine knew it, Ichigo hugged her back. Ichigo held onto Aine tightly, as if she was a bird in his hands that would fly away at any moment. Before anyone knew it, Ichigo started to sob.

Aine continued to rub the back of Ichigo's head and repeated the same words. And while this was going on Chaim simply sat and watched the two friends embrace. He always felt guilty when this happened. If it wasn't for him fighting hollows and protecting his two companions, then Ichigo wouldn't be in such pain. But there was also another feeling deep down in Chaim when he saw Ichigo like this; it was one of helplessness. Aine was the only one that could help Ichigo in this state. Chaim could only watch as Ichigo screamed in terror and sobbed in pain.

A couple minutes passed before Ichigo stopped sobbing. He broke from Aine's embrace before lying back down. Another minute passed and he was already asleep. Silence retook the van as Chaim and Aine watched their friend sleeping, hoping that he would find peace this time.

Before Chaim knew it, He found Aine staring right at him. Her worried face grew tenfold.

"These haven't let up you know." Aine whispered "Every time you protect us from those hollow things, he ends up waking in terror, screaming her name."

Chaim sighed as he turned away "Yeah… I know."

"Don't you think… we can get him to talk about it?"

"No."

Aine grew a little angry at that response "Don't shoot me down like that!"

"I'm not trying to."

"Well you are!"

Chaim started to speak in a firm tone "Aine, if he doesn't want to talk about it we can't make him."

"Listen. In the two years that we've traveled together, we've barely even known each other. I know nothing about the past of you two."

That was true. Chaim didn't know about Ichigo's past. He didn't know how Ichigo knew about hollows, who this Tatsuki was, and why he screamed the name in the middle of the night.

"Don't you think that it's about time we know? That it's about time that we helped him?"

Chaim then turned back at Aine. She was taken aback as she then looked at his face. Chaim's expression was one of complete seriousness. He never got this way unless for something really important.

Chaim sighed "Look Aine, he has to be the one that open himself up to us. We can't try and force him open up because we might break the lock"

"Are you… saying that because you're not open with your past?"

Chaim said nothing he only turned away again. Aine looked at her friend with worry. Ichigo wasn't the only one hurting. Chaim had something that was eating him up as well. Whatever it was it had to do with spirits. In a way Chaim and Ichigo were alike. They both had something bad happened to them in the past that involved ghosts and hollows.

That's why the two really traveled together. They helped each other. They needed each other. Just like how Aine needed to be with them. She needed to help her saviors. The least she could do was take care of them.

Aine sighed again "So what can we do."

"We can only be there for him when he wants to open up."

"Alright, I'll keep quiet. But it would be for the best if you two opened up. I don't think Ichigo could handle more of this."

With that Aine walked towards the bed and laid back down. Moments passed as and before, Chaim was then assaulted by the sound of her snoring.

Chaim looked at Aine for a while, before turning and looking back at Ichigo. He stared for a few moments, before looking down in his hands right back at the pocket watch. In the inner portion of the cover, was a picture of two people, a man and a woman, smiling as they held each other in embrace. The man had a striking resemblance to Chaim facial wise, while the woman had his eyes. Chaim smiled at the picture, a glint of sadness in his face.

With care he closed the pocket watch, and put it back in his pocket. Getting out of the chair, he then went to the sleeping bag, ready to go back to sleep.

Or at least try as Aine was snoring.

* * *

It was now noon, and the trio found themselves walking around the busier sections of Phoenix. Numerous cars whizzed by them as they walked on a somewhat pristine sidewalk. Many people passed by them, most not giving them the time of day, although a few glances were directed to them here and there.

They were walking to the bookshop where the signing was. With the book in her hand, Aine felt like her heart could stop beating with how anxious she was. However she was quickly distracted by one of her companions. Chaim was drinking a cup of coffee while Ichigo walked behind him. Aine was constantly hearing the loud disgusting sound of Chaim slurping.

Aine then turned to Chaim, irritation oozing in her voice as she spoke "I don't want to hear you bitching about how loud my snoring is when your slurping is just as loud."

Chaim faced Aine "What? You're supposed to do that with coffee."

"If you're some pig then yeah. As for normal humans however we drink quietly."

Ichigo asked "How many coffees have you had today Chaim?"

Before Chaim could answer Aine interjected "I can answer that for you Ichigo. He's had 6 already, three in the van and another three from the numerous stalls."

"Six already? What are you trying do Chaim, make your heart explode?"

Chaim groaned "Why are you two ganging up on me again?"

Aine spoke first "We find the amount of coffee you consume to be disturbing. That's why."

"I like Coffee! There's nothing wrong with drinking something you like!"

Ichigo felt dumbfounded after that response "That sounds like something that a drunk would say to excuse his alcoholism."

A large growl came from Chaim who was obviously irritated at being insulted for his habits. Aine started to chuckle as once again at the expense of the coffee addict.

Finished with her chuckling, Aine then felt the anxiety creep back in her. The book that was in her hand was a bestseller. It would no doubt be cramped to the corners at the store. She wondered if she was going to be able to even get a word in with the Author at the signing. Yet she had to try. There was one single question that she had to ask the author.

Aine was then brought out of her thoughts from the sound of Chaim's voice "Why'd you go silent all of a sudden?"

Aine sighed "For your information, I'm kind of nervous."

"What for? For meeting some author?"

"From what I've heard he's rather difficult to deal with. The word moody is too light of a word to describe him."

"And you still want to meet him?"

"I need to ask him something from the book. I'm not going to get it out of my head unless I ask."

"What's this book even about Aine?" Ichigo asked. "You never told us anything about it."

"It's a fantasy tale about this one guy named Phil, living in a small village. This guy is a real loser, constantly annoying the people he calls friends."

"Loser huh? Sounds a lot like Chaim."

Chaim immediately shouted "Fuck off!" drawing some stares from the people passing by.

Ignoring Chaim, Aine continued "One of his friends in particular is this rather cool guy, named Richter. He is strong but with a detached personality. Now one day Richter disappears for a period of time. It turns out; it were fighting against this major threat to the world"

"Wow… a cliché save the world plot."

"Shut up Chaim. Anyways, it turns out they didn't tell the others because they felt it was best that they didn't know. Richter especially wanted to protect them by keeping them in the dark. However that doesn't sit well with the others. Well he comes back for a quick minute and Richter's friends confront Richter. They get into a fight and Richter breaks his friendship with them."

Aine then took a deep breath before continuing "Then later tragedy strikes. Phil then snaps and blames Richter. Richter disappears shortly after and Phil regrets what he said. He then blames himself for everything that happened."

Aine took another breath "The story ends with Phil on his death bed. He talks about how he lived the rest of his life alone; completely avoiding the people he once called friends. And then he dies."

Chaim was the first to respond to her tale "That was a more cynical ending than any Corbucci flick could ever hope to match."

Aine sighed "You and your crappy spaghetti westerns."

Chaim was about to respond but stopped when he heard one less pair of footsteps behind him. Turning he saw Ichigo stopped moving, a look of shock etched around his mouth.

This caused Chaim to worry as he stopped moving "Hey Ichigo, You ok?"

Shortly after Aine then stopped moving and turned to her two friends. Quickly her face shifted to one of worry as well.

Ichigo remained quiet, until he forced himself to mutter out a question "What was the name of this book, Aine?"

Aine seemed confused at first before answering "It's called 'Alone'."

"And… Who was the author of this book?"

"Keigo Asano."

Ichigo immediately started to back up. The worry of his friends increased tenfold.

"I'm sorry. I can't go with you to the singing."

The concern was heavy in her voice when Aine asked "Are you ok Ichigo?"

"I'm fine. I just… can't go there. I'll be back at the van. Sorry."

Before the two could even say anything, Ichigo walked away. With a quick pace, he walked around from his two friends. Before they knew it Ichigo was no longer in their sight.

Aine was the first to speak "What... was that about?"

Chaim was only able to mutter "I have no idea."

"He really freaked out when he heard the authors name."

"Yep."

"Do you think that... he might know Keigo at all?"

"Don't know."

Aine started to get irritated at her friend "Are you trying to deliberately be dense?!"

Chaim sighed "Aine, your trying to pry open that lock again. I'm not going to try and find out about Ichigo's past until he's ready to talk about it."

"But-" Aine stopped herself and grunted "Fine. He shouldn't be alone though. He was really shaken up. One of us should be with him."

"You're right." Chaim started to think as he then turned back to Aine "You have your cleaver on you?"

"Of course."

"You know the way back to the van right?"

"Yep."

"Alright." Chaim started to walk towards the direction went "I'll take Ichigo to that café we've passed by. Wait for us at the van when you're done."

Aine only nodded and gave a brief wave. Chaim turned his back to the teenager and started to walk. It only took a few moments before Aine couldn't see Chaim anymore; he blended in the crowd too well. Before she knew it, Aine was now alone.

She sighed as she continued walking towards the book store. Her thoughts were filled with curiosity and concern for her friend. She never saw Ichigo act like that, the shock and a little bit of fear. She knew that he must have known Keigo at one point, though she didn't know what type of relation they must have had. She wanted to know more, but Chaim was right. That would be prying.

She sighed as she continued down the sidewalk, and before she knew it she was right in front of the bookstore. Taking a deep breath she entered, ready to finally ask her question.

Aine was shocked when she entered the bookstore. It wasn't nearly as packed as she thought it was. Sure there was a line, but it was far more manageable than what she thought it would be. It must have been her lucky day, as she then entered the line. Maybe she would be able to speak to the author after all. Maybe she would be able to ask her question.

Time passed and Aine found herself closer to her goal. There were now only three people in front of her. And as she looked at the table ahead she saw two people.

The first was a guy. It was hard to tell whether he was an adult or a boy. He was rather short; Aine was probably taller than him. His black hair was long enough to cover his ears, and was parted down to the sides, save for a single strand that went to the bridge of his nose. He had a rather pretty face, Aine could guess that the girls where all over him. He wore a simple hoodie and jeans.

This wasn't Keigo. This man looked very calm and level headed. The Keigo that Aine heard of was an emotional wreck. Aine then looked at the other person, who fit the description much better.

The second person was definitely a man. He had brown eyes and brown hair. The latter was flipped outward and was long enough to cover his forehead. He wore messy t shirt jeans.

This was definitely Keigo. He matched the description down to the bone. Keigo looked dazed the entire time, as if he was tired. A person would give a compliment on Keigo's book, only to get some crass remark and leave from a rather awkward encounter. Keigo also didn't seem like he was eating much. You could see the bones in his arms, and his cheek bones looked sharp enough to cut through his flesh if he turned quickly enough. It reminded Aine of Ichigo the first time she met him, who was close to being in intensive care for a while due to his lack of appetite.

Before Aine knew it, the people in front of her were gone. The anxiousness built inside of her, but she fought through it. She had to ask the question that was plaguing her. With a heavy sigh she walked up to the table. She was greeted by Keigo looking like a coma victim as he looked down to the ground.

"Sorry." Aine turned to the pretty boy at Keigo's side "He's like this a lot. I'll get him to pay attention."

"Thanks" Aine replied "Who are you though?"

"Oh, I'm Mizuiro Kojima. I'm Keigo's friend and I guess you could say his care taker." Mizuiro then turned towards Keigo and started to speak "Keigo! You have another fan that want's their book signed!"

Keigo immediately broke from his daze, and he immediately looked up towards Aine. He still didn't seem like he was all there, but he was at least looking at her.

"Wha..." Keigo said dazedly before he before he became "Oh, you want your book signed" When Aine nodded he immediately held out his hand "Well give it here then." Aine held out her book and before she knew it, Keigo then snatched the book out of her hand. With a cheap marker he then he wrote a chicken scratch signature on the cover before tossing the book right in front of her. "There you go, now do you need anything else? Please say that you don't."

Aine finally spoke "Yeah I do" Aine heard a groan but pushed back the urge to hit Keigo. "There's been a question that has been plaguing me since I read your book."

"Oh goodie, and that is?"

"Do you you believe that you deserve to be miserable?"

Keigo immediately glared at Aine. Somehow he quickly became focused, as if he was never dazed to begin with.

"What did you say?" he said slow, his voice on a dangerous low note.

"I said, Do you you believe that you deserve to be miserable?"

Keigo started to glare at Aine. A deep tense silence filled the room as Keigo glares continued. Aine thought that he was going to yell at her.

However as he opened his mouth, only a sigh escaped "I'm not going to answer that."

Aine seemed a bit dejected at the response, although she expected it "Ok then."

"Now if you don't need anything else, please leave."

Aine wanted to punch him bad, but instead she walked away and left the bookstore. She was about to walk back to the van but before she could she hear a voice say:

"Can you tell me why you asked that?"

She turned around and looked to find the black haired pretty boy. He started walking towards her. A pleading look was in his eyes.

Aine stared at him for a minute and then sighed "I got from reading the book that it seemed too personal to be just another fantasy tale. I figured that Phil was the book version of Keigo himself."

"Is that it?"

Aine arched an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"It just seemed that there was more to your question than that."

Aine stared at the man. She didn't really want to say anything now since Keigo turned her down, but she might as well try it with his friend.

"Alright, I have a friend. And I think that… he doesn't believe he deserves to be happy. When I read the book I felt that maybe the author felt the same way" Aine looked away "And I thought that if I asked Keigo if he felt that way then maybe, just maybe, I could learn how to help my friend."

Aine then looked back at Mizuiro who was digesting all of the information. Before Aine could say anything Mizuiro smiled, In a way that seemed forced. Aine wondered if she said something to upset him.

Mizuiro chuckled "You must really want to look out for your friend."

Aine looked confused at first, before giving a light smirk "Yeah I do. Although, he really doesn't deserve it. Damn berry head."

Aine saw Mizuiro give a face of confusion, and felt that it was harmless enough to tell him "Sorry, it's a nickname. My friend has a name that is easily misinterpreted as strawberry."

Aine became wierded out when Mizuiro's face became one of puzzlement. Before he can say anything Mizuiro looks Aine right in the eye and asks her

"Your friend that you call berry head, wouldn't be someone named Ichigo Kurosaki, would he?"

Aine forces herself to not make any type of expression. The fact that the man in front of her knew Ichigo then meant that she was right. Keigo knew him as well.

She is about to say something but Mizuiro's eyes widen even more. Apparently her masked cracked.

"Stay right there!" Mizuiro commanded all of a sudden "I'm going to get Keigo!" With that Mizuiro rushed back into the bookstore.

Aine felt as if she was frozen for a second. However she then quickly started to move. She thought that Keigo might have known Ichigo but she never meant to tell him that he was here. She immediately turned and was about to run but she froze she heard a shout

"Don't go!"

Slowly turning she saw Keigo, author of the best-selling book 'Alone' rushing towards her. He looked like he shouldn't even be running, as he wobbled and nearly fell multiple times. Yet Keigo persisted and ran right towards Aine grabbing her by the jacket.

"Tell me where Ichigo is!" Keigo shouted "I need to talk to him! Please!"

Aine wasn't sure what to do then. The way Ichigo reacted meant earlier meant that the two of them left on rather bad terms. If the two were to meet again, she doubted it would be a happy reunion. However, the man in front of her was far different than the one she met in the bookstore. His entire face showed nothing but guilt and regret, as he pleaded for her to tell him where Ichigo was. It would be too painful to tell him no.

Aine pulled Keigo's hands off of him as said "Alright." She watched as Keigo's eyes widened "I'll take you to see Ichigo."

* * *

Blocks away, Ichigo and Chaim were at a small café, sitting at a table in the far corner. It was a rather trendy joint, only serving the freshest and most natural of products.

It was empty now but just a few moments ago the Café was occupied by the most stereotypical hipsters you'll ever lay eyes on. All adorned black rim glasses. All wore flannel shirts. All went on about gentrification, contrarianism, Ayn Rand, and about old films being 'so bad their good'. Chaim lost it when they brought spaghetti westerns in their 'so bad their good' talk and started to shout at the people holding the conversation. It took Ichigo apologizing to keep them from being kicked out, and all the other patrons left.

Taking a swig of coffee Chaim grunted as remembered that "Those idiots know nothing about the greatness of spaghetti westerns."

Ichigo groaned "Are you still going on about that? Let it go already. And did you get another coffee?"

"Yeah I did. So?"

"Damnit Chaim! That's the ninth you've had today!"

It was Chaim's turn to groan "Are we getting into this again?"

"You have an addiction Chaim."

Chaim growled again. And before his friend responded Chaim decided to change the subject

"Are you all right?"

Ichigo got confused at this question "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember? You had that nightmare this morning. You screamed that name again."

"Did I?" Ichigo seemed lost for a little bit before quickly shaking his head. "I forgot all about that."

"On top of that you freaked out earlier when we were walking to the bookstore."

"Yeah… I did."

Chaim sighed "Ichigo, look at me."

Ichigo turned his head towards Chaim. Chaim took a long look at Ichigo, the only thing blocking eye contact was the blindfold that Ichigo wore.

Chaim grunted as he continued "I'm not going to pry, and I'm not going to ask you anything about your past until you're ready to talk about it. I just want to know whether my friend is alright."

Chaim watched as numerous emotions flew across Ichigo's face. Most were unreadable. The only emotion that Chaim could read was as hint of gratitude.

"I'm fine Chaim, but… thanks."

Chaim was about to respond but was cut off as he heard the door to the café open followed quickly by Aine's voice

"Ichigo! Where are you?"

Turning Chaim looked and saw Aine she looked a little worried, for whatever reason. Quickly two other people entered the café. One was a pretty boy with ear length hair. The other was what Chaim assumed as an anorexic patient. They seemed to cling tightly around Aine, as if they were afraid to lose her.

Cautious, Chaim shouted out "Right here Aine!"

Aine turned to to where Chaim was. Her face riddled with worry as she started to walk to their seat. The other two quickly followed her as she met her friends. When they reached the table, the two others eyes widened and their jaws dropped, as they looked at Ichigo. They were quick to try and say something, but they stopped and gave an awkward look.

Chaim wasn't stupid. He quickly figured out why they reacted like that after seeing Ichigo. He felt anger built up as he then glared at Aine.

"Didn't we have a discussion earlier about prying?"

Aine looked confused "Huh?" However she then quickly figured it out as she panicked a little "Oh… No! It's not like that."

"Oh it isn't? Because it looks a lot like you brought these two to pry!"

"I didn't want to bring them! They begged me to come!"

"But you still told them!"

"I didn't tell them! They figured out on their own!"

Chaim looked at her accusingly "And how did they figure out?"

Aine shrunk a little "I called Ichigo berry head."

Chaim sighed at the last response. Sometimes she could loose lips. He was about to chew her out but stopped and turned towards Ichigo. Ichigo had a look of confusion plastered on his face.

Ichigo then asked "Will somebody tell me who these two that Aine brought are?"

There was silence for a minute and Chaim was about to speak but was cut off when the anorexic spoke

"Hey… Ichigo"

Ichigo visibly tensed at the voice and as he spoke he began to stutter "Kei…Keigo?"

"Yeah… it's me. Mizuiro's here as well."

Said Mizuiro finally spoke "It's…been a while Ichigo."

Tension filled the room, and Ichigo didn't respond. He began to breathe heavily, in and out, as if he was having another nightmare. Aine then immediately went to his side and gripped his hand, whispering in his ear how it was all right. Keigo and Mizuiro looked on, horror plastered on their face.

Chaim sighed as he was got up. He felt that anything that these two would say to Ichigo should be without him and Aine involved. As he started to walk however, he felt something grab onto his his hand. Turning he saw Ichigo, clutching onto him to the point where his knuckles were white.

"Don't go." Ichigo pleaded "I can't… do this alone. Please don't go."

Chaim said nothing. He only sat down again. Ichigo released his hand when he realized that his friend was still there. Chaim then glared at the other two, who started to shift uncontrollably at this gaze. However his glare was cut short by a sigh, much to Keigo and Mizuiro's relief.

Chaim motioned the two, to the seats in front of them "Sit."

Silently they obeyed his command and took a seat.

The silence that clung around the group was oppressive. Tension and awkwardness mixed in the air. No one knew what to say and then decided to keep their mouth shut. Seconds seemed like lifetimes as they passed.

Keigo's was the first to speak "It's… It's been a while…"

A sad smile crept on Ichigo's face "Yeah… it has."

"Four years if I recall."

"Yeah…"

The silence resumed, and Ichigo held his head down as he was lost in thought.

"How… is everyone else?"

Mizuiro was the one to answer "They're doing well. Chad is travelling with his band. Orihime is a model. Uryuu is working as a fashion designer."

"What about you Mizuiro?"

"Mostly I'm talking care of Keigo here."

"What about Rukia?"

"We… Haven't seen her since… that. Nor anyone else from…there."

It was vague, but Ichigo understood.

"What about Karin, Yuzu, and goat face?"

"Your family's fine. Your sisters just started high school, and your father still runs the clinic."

"I see." Ichigo went silent for a minute, before he stared right at Keigo "Aine here…" Ichigo motioned to the teenager "She told me about your book Keigo."

Keigo was a little wide eyed. "Did she now?"

"Yeah, the ending was sad. Phil dying alone seemed a little rough."

Keigo looked away "It wasn't rough enough. I wanted the ending to be him waking up in hell, but the publisher made me cut it." The oppressive silence returned. Keigo quickly gulped before asking "Why are you wearing a blindfold Ichigo?"

Ichigo didn't respond at first, and he was only able to mutter out "So people don't pity me."

Keigo and Mizuiro looked puzzled and the latter asked "What do you mean pity?"

Aine took her hand off of Ichigo's, and in turn he took his hands to the knot of the blind fold he made. With a little tug, the knot undone and the blindfold fell.

Keigo and Mizuiro paled when they saw Ichigo's eyes. They were void of any light or glimmer. They looked like the eyes of a dead man.

Mizuiro was the first to ask "Wha, What happened to your eyes Ichigo?"

"I…" Ichigo fought through the hesitation "I can't see."

Keigo and Mizuiro looked in horror as they heard that.

Keigo sputtered out "Can't see? As in Blind?"

"Yeah… these eyes can't see anything but darkness. People pity me when they see them. When I wear the blindfold they simply say how weird I am rather than call me a poor soul."

Mizuiro hesitantly spoke "That would… make sense. Has it been hard getting by?"

Ichigo looked towards Mizuiro, which nearly gave the pretty boy a heart attack "Not really. There are things I obviously can't do. But ever since… then, my other senses have been almost super human, to the point where I can look right at a person's face just by the sound of their voice."

"How long have you not been able to see?"

"Since… The last time I saw Tatsuki."

Ichigo's former acquaintances paled at that. Chaim and Aine only watched. The two travelling companions knew better than to ask or even try to but in. This was a conversation Ichigo and the other two.

Keigo asked "You were blind since then?"

"Yeah. It wasn't as _visible_ as it is now."

Mizuiro forced out a question "Did anyone know about your blindness back then?"

"No, not even Goat Chin."

Keigo's voice became frantic "So back then, you weren't looking at me because you literally couldn't see? Not because you didn't want to look at me?"

Ichigo looked down at the table "Yeah…"

Keigo clutched his head with his hands. His elbows slammed into the table, making an audible noise. His head shook violently in his hands. He started to breathe franticly. Mizuiro started to clutch Keigo's shoulder. Ichigo looked shocked. Aine sat in surprise. Chaim however sat impassively. Although he didn't show it, he was sympathetic. He knew what Keigo was going through right now. Keigo's behavior showed the signs of a breakdown.

Keigo then began to speak frantically "And I said such horrible things to you."

Ichigo remembered those words all too well they still burned in his mind.

 _You can't even be bothered to look me in the eye! Just like you couldn't be bothered to tell us what was going on. That shows what you consider our friendship to be!_

Keigo started to whimper "I'm sorry Ichigo. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" All eyes turned to Ichigo, despair filling his face "You were right. Because of me not telling you…Tatsuki was… everything was my fault."

The whole table looked in shock at Ichigo. Quickly after, another loud bang was heard. Turning they saw Keigo standing up fist on the table.

"No it wasn't!" Keigo started to breathe heavily "It wasn't your fault Ichigo. I never meant anything I said."

Keigo sat down, sadness in his eyes "I was just mad. Mad that we weren't told. I still think we should have been but…" Keigo stared right at Ichigo "I never knew how much you were going through. What you put on your shoulders. You wanted to protect everyone, even if that meant doing it alone." Keigo clutched his head "You were hurting the worst, yet I was too angry to realize that. I yelled at you instead of seeing what you were going though. I was the poor excuse of a friend, not you."

Keigo stared at Ichigo who was now completely unable to read "I'm sorry Ichigo. I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I know it's too late for me to be your friend again; it's too late to be forgiven. But… I just need you to know that I never meant anything I said."

The room was silent again. All eyes turned to Ichigo. No one knew what he was thinking as his head was lowered. If the atmosphere seemed oppressive before, there was no doubt now. The walls seemed to close in and everyone felt like their intestines were imploding, as they waited for Ichigo's response.

Ichigo faced Keigo before he spoke "You're kidding me right?" A hint of anger was in his voice before he outright shouted "It's my fault! Everything that happened was because I didn't tell you!" He stood up "TATSUKI DIED BECAUSE OF ME!"

The group looked at Ichigo, some sad others horrified. However a single Calm voice cut through it all.

"It wasn't your fault though."

Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized who spoke "Mizuiro?"

"Did you really ever think that would have happened? No one could have predicted that happening, not even Hat and Clogs. It was no one's fault that Tatsuki died, except for that bastard."

"But she did-"

Mizuiro interrupted Ichigo "Yes she did, because you were her friend. No matter what you said, she still thought of you as a friend. And as a friend she wouldn't want to see you blame yourself for what happened to her."

Mizuiro sighed as he continued "So please Ichigo, stop blaming yourself. You're the one deserves the least of the blame."

Ichigo sat back down. He seemed a little daze after listening. The others waited patiently, letting Ichigo collect his thoughts. He then faced Keigo and Mizuiro, a small smile on his face.

"I'll try. I can't make promises, but… I'll try."

Mizuiro smiled "That's good."

"Thanks… Keigo, Mizuiro. It's… real good talking to you two again."

For the first time during the whole conversation Keigo smiled "It was real good talking to you too Ichigo. Me and Mizuiro really missed you."

The tension oozed out at the table. Chaim and Aine looked at the three old friends. Small smiles adorned their faces. Before they knew it however, both Keigo and Mizuiro were looking right at them.

"Ichigo" Mizuiro spoke "Does your two friends-"

Ichigo interrupted him "No, they know nothing of what happened. They know of spirits and hollows however."

Keigo seemed surprised "Really?"

"Yep. Aine can see the outlines. And Chaim here has killing hollows that come near us."

"Really…"

Before Chaim knew it, he found Keigo and Mizuiro staring right at him. They were analyzing him very intently. It looked like they were trying to get every single detail down about Chaim. They looked like they wanted to dissect him.

Chaim got annoyed and finally spoke "And why are you two eyeballing me?"

They both flinched when they heard that. A few sudden whispers could be heard of them berating themselves for being so obvious.

Keigo however quickly smiled as he answered "Sorry. We were just trying to get a good impression of the man who's been taking care of Ichigo."

Aine then rolled her eyes and snorted "Taking care of my ass. That man-child is only good at fighting hollows. He couldn't take care of himself."

Chaim immediately turned towards Aine and shouted "You're going on about this now?!"

A sly smile crept on Ichigo's face "He is terrible at fighting regular people. An old man could beat him up."

"Piss off!"

"Plus he's terrible at cooking."

Chaim's face turned red in anger "Why'd you have to tell them that?!"

A chuckle escaped Mizuiro as he asked "How terrible is he Ichigo?"

Ichigo chuckled "He was living off of cold spam before we met him. He's so bad he screwed up grilled cheese sandwiches."

A large slamming noise could be heard, and all eyes were on Chaim as he looked at Ichigo in fury and shouted

"THAT'S IT!"

Chaim then charged at the man right next to him. Ichigo however grabbed his arm. And in a move of martial arts brilliance, he threw Chaim to the other side of the café. Ichigo immediately got out of his seat and charged at the now floored Chaim. Both were now in another roughhouse.

The other three watched the two as they fought on the ground. The waiters and waitresses were shouting at them to stop. A few started to threaten to call the police. And as Keigo and Mizuiro watched, they started to smile even more. They then broke out in laughter.

Laughter was heard amongst the shouts and fighting.

* * *

Half an hour passed. The sun was setting, and Chaim, Aine, and Ichigo found themselves walking back to the van. Chaim now sported a black eye yet again and kept grumbling on about Ichigo being a berry haired bastard. After the fight, they were kicked out of the café. Ichigo spent a while catching up with Keigo and Mizuiro. And for the first time in a while, he seemed happy.

Eventually Ichigo split up from his old friends, and they promised not to tell anyone that they saw him.

Now the atmosphere was rather awkward as Ichigo seemed like he needed something to say.

Ichigo sighed "I guess that you want to know what we were going on about right?"

Chaim simply replied "No."

Ichigo stopped as he looked confused "No?"

The other two stopped walking and turned around to their friend.

Chaim continued "You're still not ready to talk about it. I can tell. So we'll keep our mouths shut until you're ready."

Ichigo seemed a little lost at first but quickly recovered "Thanks. And not just for that." Ichigo looked away "Thanks… for being there during all that. If you two weren't there… I might have ran away."

Aine chuckled "Hey, what are friends for?"

"Friends huh?" Ichigo found himself grinning at that.

"By the way Ichigo, you forgot to put the blindfold back on."

"I'm going to keep it off for tonight."

The three continued walking to their destination. A few moments later they were stopped by the sound of yelling.

"HEY YOU!"

A hooded thug passed the trio pushing Chaim to the side. He was holding a bag that was obviously stolen. Then a Japanese man with slicked back hair passed shouting at the thug

"GIVE ME BACK THAT BAG!"

Chaim and Aine saw Ichigo move, running towards the thug. He completely passed the other man and quickly grabbed onto the thugs shoulder. The thug turned towards Ichigo, only punched in the face.

The thug was knocked to the ground. On instinct he pulled out a knife and tried to stab Ichigo. The blade slipped through the crack of Ichigo's fingers as he trapped the thug's knife hand with his left, while throwing a punch with his right.

The thug was knocked out cold. Ichigo sighed as he picked up the bag and walked towards the bags rightful owner. He held it out for the owner to take it.

The man jumped in joy as he started speaking "You're pretty good kid! Aren't you hungry? How about I go buy you Ramen?"

Ichigo sighed "I'm fine. I've got to get back home anyways." He walked away from the man as Chaim and Aine joined him.

The man seemed taken aback as he said "Ok… That's too bad though."

Moments passed and the trio was out of sight.

The man now completely alone sighed "You're surprisingly wary…"

Something then fell out of the bag, only holding on by the zipper. It was a wooden badge, with a bizarre skull over the top of an x type pattern.

The man then looked at the Direction Ichigo went. A sly smile grew on his face as his eyes became sinister.

"…Ichigo Kurosaki"


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn broke over phoenix. Orange and Violet mixed in the sky. The early rays of the sun rained down on the streets and buildings, illuminating the city as the streetlights began to fade off.

Watching dawn break was Chaim. A mug of coffee in his hand, he gave a faint smile as he continued his morning ritual. He then looked to his companions, wondering if he should try and wake them up. He wasn't really in the mood to be beaten on this early in the morning. However a sound of rustling was heard and turning towards it, Chaim saw Ichigo.

Ichigo removed his sheets before standing. With a groggy face he looked around before his gaze fell on Chaim.

Ichigo spoke dazed from waking up as he waved to Chaim "Mornin"

Chaim gave a wave back "Mornin"

Ichigo walked over to the kitchen area of the van. He picked up a mug and filled it with the leftover coffee Chaim made. He then sat right next to Chaim, legs out of the door, before taking a swig of the bitter liquid.

Ichigo grunted "You can't even make a cup of coffee."

"Are you really going to start this early?"

Ichigo struggled to keep his eyes opened "Honestly…No."

Chaim felt relieved and continued to speak "Just so you don't forget you slept with the blindfold off last night."

"Ok. I'll take care of that later."

"I'm surprised your even up this early. Usually I have to risk bodily injury in order for you to wake."

"I had a good night's sleep this time."

"So how are you holding up?"

Ichigo turned to Chaim "what do you mean?"

"You had one crazy day, yesterday. I just want to make sure if you are still holding up."

"I see…" Although he couldn't see it, Ichigo faced the sky as if he was looking at the sunrise "It was… good seeing them again. I thought it would be painful if we ever met again, but…" Ichigo took a breath "It was good sorting everything out with those two."

"Good."

There was silence between the two. Moments passed as the sun rose.

Chaim broke the silence. "Aine was going to go shopping today wasn't she?"

"Yep ."

Chaim then stood up and exited the van, stretching his legs as he did. He turned to Ichigo who seemed confused "I'm going to walk around. I'll leave Aine's waking to you."

"So you're making me and Aine do all the work while you go get some more coffee."

Chaim growled but left without saying anything. Ichigo then sighed. Picking himself up, he walked to the bed, lightly nudging the pile, while saying in a shushed tone

"Aine, it's time to wake up."

A groan was heard. Shortly afterwards, stirring was seen in the lump. The blankets were thrown off, and Aine was found sitting on the bed. She yawned, while stretching her arms and legs. She then rubbed her eyes, trying to fight off the tired.

"What time is it?" She yawned

"Around 7"

"Alright." Aine took a look around the room before turning back to Ichigo "Where's Chaim?"

"He left to _go for a walk_."

Aine snorted "Yeah right."

"Yep. He left because he didn't want to go shopping."

"That lazy bastard." Aine sighed "You don't mind going do you Ichigo?"

"Nope. Let me get my blindfold on first though."

With that Ichigo took the piece of leather from his pocket and wrapped it around his eyes. His hands met both ends together before tying it into a strong knot. Ichigo resumed the look he usually wore, that of the strange man, as if he was supposed to be breaking a piñata somewhere.

Aine looked on at her friend, before sighing "You know you don't have to wear that."

"Hm?"

"The blindfold. You don't have to wear it. I'll kick anyone's ass that treats you with pity."

"You can't just go picking fights with people on my behalf. You're bound to end up getting us arrested."

"But…"

Ichigo sighed "Look Aine, I appreciate the gesture. I really do. But if you start to beat up everybody who looks at me with pity, then we're going to get in a lot of trouble."

Aine had a hint of dejection in her voice "Alright…"

"So… Are you ready?"

Aine broke from her mood "Yep, let's get going."

The two walked out of the van and locked it. Shortly after, they walked down the streets of Phoenix.

An hour passed and the two could be found walking. Aine had a bag in each hand. Ichigo had at least five in one hand and another 4 in the other. Each bag was made of a thick brown paper. The bags held groceries, such as meat eggs vegetables milk and other assorted products.

As they walked Ichigo then sighed "I think you went a little overboard Aine."

"What do you mean?"

"You bought way too much for the fridge."

"Well for your information, I am storing up in advance."

Ichigo deadpanned "Are you kidding? Me, you, and Chaim couldn't eat all of the food you got in a month."

"Wrong. Me and you couldn't eat it in a month. Knowing Chaim however he would be able to eat most of this in one sitting."

Ichigo deadpanned when he heard that. "You're… right about that."

"Exactly. So we have more for us after he eats his rations."

Ichigo sighed. He knew Aine had a good strategy. Despite being skinny, Chaim ate a fridge worth of food. Ichigo thought of getting him to compete in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. He knew that he would be able to beat anyone there, including Takeru Kobayashi. In a way, his appetite reminded Ichigo of another person that he knew, a certain purple haired pain. Although he hoped the two would never meet. He shuddered to think what the bill would be if they got into an eating competition.

Ichigo was cut out of his thoughts when he heard a voice speak to him.

"Ichigo!" Aine shouted "Are you listening to me?!"

Ichigo gave a light shake "Sorry Aine. I was thinking about how much Chaim eats."

Aine gave a chuckle at that and the two continued to walk. A few minutes later they were at the van. Ichigo quickly became nervous however. He heard Aine's breath as she looked forward.

"Aine?" Ichigo asked "What's wrong?"

"There's a guy right in front of the van."

Ichigo became alert when he heard that "Do you know who he is?"

"He's the guy whose bag you returned."

Ichigo still felt a little tense when he heard that. He had a bad feeling deep in his bones. Tension in his voice, he replied

"Stay close to me and don't do anything."

"All right."

The two walked towards the van. And as they were close Aine saw that the oil slick man's attention was focused on the two. In his left hand was something, covered by a napkin. Judging from the shape, it could have been a bowl. However, she quickly assumed that he was concealing a knife or a pistol.

The man walked towards the two, his eyes were on Ichigo the whole time. A sly smile curved on his lips. When they were close, the man took off the napkin, concealing what was in his hand. Aine immediately went for her cleaver but stopped when she saw what the man had. It was a sealed bowl.

"Yo." The man slyly said "Want some Ramen?"

* * *

Walking through the streets of Pheonix, Chaim took a swig of coffee in his right hand. It was currently his 4th cup today. He needed to finish it before he went back to the van, otherwise Ichigo and Aine would continue to lecture him on his habits. He wasn't in the mood for that.

Chaim sighed. He was walking back to the van because he figured that Aine was done shopping. Currently he wanted to make sure that she didn't rack up a big bill. Sure they were swimming in money right now, but spending was a downhill slide. When you started to spend, you couldn't stop. And the spending gained more and more momentum as it went on.

Honestly Chaim probably should have gone with them to shop. But Ichigo and Aine would never listen to him when he made objections on what to buy. They didn't like the stuff he would buy for food, canned goods and all. They said that it tasted like shit. But who cares? It's cheap and when you're on the road, that's what matters. Chaim would rather keep the money safe in case the Van breaks down or any other emergency.

Chaim sighed as he continued walking. Before he knew it, he was back at the van. He slowly walked towards the van door and saw that it was open. He was about to walk in, but stopped when he heard Ichigo yell

"Hey Damnit! Why are you eating ramen here?!"

An unfamiliar voice rang in Chaim's ears

"Cuz you won't eat it. If I don't eat it, the noodles'll get all stretched out."

"Eat at your house! What the hell did you come in here for?!"

Chaim sighed as he heard Ichigo rant and decided that had enough. He quickly walked into the van and saw Ichigo sitting in the driver's seat, facing the passenger's, with the table between the two. In the passenger's seat was a man he was sure he never saw before. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a jacket with fur lining. Aine was standing right next to Ichigo, eyeing the stranger as if he was a suspect.

Suddenly all went silent. The three at the table stopped at what they were doing and turned towards Chaim.

Aine then sighed "About time your lazy ass decided to come back."

Chaim ignored the comment and stared at the stranger "Who's this?"

"The guy that Ichigo returned his bag to."

"And why is he eating ramen in the van?"

The stranger spoke "I offered it to your friend here, and he declined. So I'm eating it."

"And how do you have a bowl of Ramen in Phoenix of all places?"

"Just so you know, there are nine ramen shops in phoenix."

Chaim raised an eyebrow "And you know this how?"

The stranger stopped eating, went into his pocket and grabbed his phone "I looked it up."

Chaim gave a deadpanned response "The most obvious answer…"

All went silent. Chaim tried to regain his thoughts as he looked at the stranger. However he stopped as he looked on. The stranger was staring right at Chaim. No, it was worse than a stare. He was glaring at Chaim. It was subtle, as if Chaim wasn't supposed to pick it up. This served to infuriate Chaim.

Chaim shouted at the stranger "If you're going to glare at me, then you can get the hell out of my van!"

The stranger didn't flinch, but his glare softened

"I'm sorry."

The words were hollow. They lacked any sincerity. The apology sounded like it was from a computer.

Chaim then sighed "So why are you even here?"

"I'm a customer." The man looked straight at Chaim "So give me some oolong tea."

A nerve busted in Chaim's head "Get your own damn tea!"

"My my, is this how you treat your clients?"

"Look buddy, I have no Idea what your-"

"We don't have tea." All seeing eyes turned to Aine "We only have Coffee. Is that Alright?"

"Aine don't give him my coffee!"

Moments passed, and the stranger stood up. He just finished drinking a mug of coffee. Right next to Aine, Chaim was fuming at how he was ignored by his companions. Ichigo faced the stranger.

Suspicion in his voice, Ichigo asked "… So what do you want from me?"

The stranger put the mug on the table "What a strange thing to say. I don't want anything from you." He turned his back on Ichigo "It was just a coincidence that I stood out of this van. I was looking for people to hire to deal with troublesome tasks. Then I heard of a group of three people, two men and a girl who live in a van, looking for work. I kept my eye out and saw this van." He walked to the door looking at the sky. "It fit the description, so I waited outside it, ready to give the three poor souls a job."

Chaim chimed in "There are over 1 and a half million people in phoenix and you narrowed the three from your story to us?"

"Of course. How many people do you know that wear a blindfold?" Chaim gritted his teeth together as the stranger turned towards Ichigo "You weren't wearing a blindfold back then."

Ichigo didn't face the man at first "Wow…" but then he faced the man as if he was glancing at him "So it was a coincidence that you were carrying ramen?"

"Sure. I like ramen."

Aine then groaned "Oh great, we have another man-child."

Chaim growled "You better not be including me in that."

Ichigo ignored the two as he replied to the stranger "If liking it was your reason for carrying it around, then I'd walk around carrying chocolate."

The stranger smiled "You like chocolate? That's cute."

"Don't change the subject."

The stranger closed his eyes and sighed "…My, my. Things will never end at this rate." The stranger then walked back to the passenger's seat and sat down and slightly bowed "I didn't come here to quarrel like this." The stranger looked at Chaim "I take it you're the boss of this place."

Chaim nodded "Yep."

Chaim's eyes hardened as he stared at the man. An all too familiar site appeared before him. The man wore the shade like Chaim had before. The left side of his face became completely dark and unable to see. It emphasized the sly smile the man had.

The stranger spoke, a subtle darkness in his voice "Mind, if I tell you my request?"

Silence permeated the the air and a thick tension filled the room Chaim and the stranger stared at each other. The others were still waiting for Chaim's response.

"Yes I do."

The shade left the strangers face, and he looked at Chaim confused "What?"

"Yes I do mind."

"…Seriously?"

Chaim sighed "I hate to break this to you, but we already acquired money and are set for a rather long time. I have no interest in filling out your request, so if you'd please-"

"Hear him out."

Chaim turned to Aine who was the one who just spoke "Sorry, my hearing is off. What did you say?"

"Hear him out."

"Since when were you the one that gave orders for this group?"

"Last time I checked Chaim, we all came to an agreement on major decisions Chaim! There's no harm in listening to his request."

Chaim twitched a little "Aine listen-" but before he could finish, Aine walked right to the stranger, ignoring her friend. "What's this request of yours sir?"

The man looked at Aine for a minute, and ignored a fuming Chaim. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a photograph before laying it on the ground. Chaim stopped fuming and looked at the picture, same as Aine. The picture was of a man of Japanese descent, in his middle ages. He wore a suit. His black hair spiked up at the front and stubble of hair adorned his face. The most striking feature of this man was his eyes. They bore a resemblance to Ichigo's. This Caused both Chaim and Aine's eyes to widen.

Ichigo however was confused "Hey Idiots! Can someone tell me what he put on the table?"

There was a silence but Chaim fought through it as he answered "A picture of a man with frontal spiky hair and a goat chin."

Ichigo seemed surprised at that "Wha?"

"He bears a resemblance to you."

Ichigo was silent. His face was unreadable.

The stranger continued unfazed by the atmosphere "His name is-"

"Isshin Kurosaki"

All were quiet when Ichigo interrupted the man. Chaim and Aine looked in shock. The stranger however, only seemed slightly intrigued. As if he already knew.

"What?" The stranger asked "You know him?"

Ichigo's voice was low, as if it was about to explode "…Are you fucking with me?" Ichigo immediately stood up faced the stranger and shouted "ISSHIN KUROSAKI IS MY OLD MAN! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT HIM, THEN ASK ME! I'LL TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT HIM!"

The sly smile reappeared on the man's face "Your old man huh? What a coincidence."

"What'd you say…?!"

"But you telling me 'Whatever?'," The man's smile grew "Do you really know enough to answer?"

Ichigo began to be visibly unnerved by what the man in front of him was saying. His anger grew tenfold. And if he wasn't wearing the blindfold, Ichigo would be glaring at the man in front of him.

But Before Ichigo could speak the stranger continued "No." The grin fell "You shouldn't know a thing about your family. Not yet anyway."

Ichigo's anger grew "What do you…Mean…?"

The stranger grinned again "…Just as I said. I didn't mean anything confusing by it." The shadow returned on the strangers face while Ichigo continued to be unnerved "How much do you know? About your family I mean?" The smile grew "Isn't there anything you'd like to know? For example-"

 _*BANG*_

The stranger stopped speaking due to the loud noise at the table. Silence filled the room and all were pulled out of the conversation as they then looked at the table. The once pristine table now had Aine's cleaver sticking out of it. Aine panicked as she wasn't the one who slammed it. However her panic was cut short as she saw who was responsible. Still gripping on the cleaver was Chaim. The stranger turned his gaze at Chaim, the shadow growing on his face.

Aine got a little angry "Chaim! What are you doing taking my Cleav…"

She stopped when she stared at Chaim. He two was now wearing the shadow on his face, something he only did when he was truly angry. However it was much worse this time. The dark was far greater than the strangers. Chaim's entire face was unable to be seen, except for the eyes which were even more piercing.

Chaim turned to the stranger and glared at him. The stranger stared back. The two men with masks of shadow were locked in a stare down, neither one budging.

"I know your game." Chaim's voice was low and slow, the venom and hatred audible "I know what you're trying to do."

The stranger stared on letting Chaim continue

"Even if you act like you don't know, I do! And I won't let whatever you're planning happen!"

Chaim's voice exploded as he continued "Leave here! Never return! Don't even try to involve Ichigo in whatever it is you are planning! Tell all who are involved with you the same thing! If I see you ever again…"

Chaim swept the side of his coat, before jerking his hand right towards the strangers head. And in his hand was now the large black 1911, pressed right onto the stranger's forehead.

"…I'LL KILL YOU!"

The stranger said nothing at the threat, or the gun pressed on his head. He slowly went to the pocket of his coat. Chaim's gripped tightened, but the stranger paid no heed as he slowly pulled out a black card with a white stripe, the words "Welcome to out Xcution" imprinted on the bottom.

The man then stood up and walked to the door of the van. Just as he was about to exit he turned towards Ichigo and spoke

"I'm Kūgo Ginjō. Contact me if you need me."

With that he walked out of the van and closed the door.

A tense silence filled the room, and Ichigo and Aine turned towards Chaim. Aine was worried to see that the darkness still didn't leave Chaim's face. The gun in his hand was shaking. The two were worried for their friend, but were shocked at his threat to kill the stranger.

"…Chaim?" Ichigo asked

Chaim immediate shouted "Destroy that fucking card! And don't even get involved with that fucker!" He turned towards Ichigo, shock etched on the latter's face "He has his own agenda Ichigo, one that will either leave you broken or dead!"

Chaim then walked towards the bed and wrapped himself in the blankets. Chaim quickly fell asleep. The other two looked on, confused and worried. Chaim seemed like he was going to snap, and that was something they never seen before. So they were quiet, and left him alone.

And Aine said nothing about how it was hard to breathe when the two stared each other down.

* * *

Kūgo Ginjō walked down the abandoned sections of phoenix. The once pristine and busy places were now completely empty save for the man walking down them and as he continued to walk he heard laughter. It was a giggling laughter, one only a schoolgirl would make. The laughter seemed so juxtaposed with the abandoned area. Stranger however was where the laughter was coming from. The sound came from the roofs of the long abandoned section.

The laughter turned into a voice "Awwwww, Failure?" Kūgo looked towards the voice at it continued "How embarrassing to be given the cold shoulder like that, even after bringing a present. That's what you get for being a meanie and not showing us that Ichigo guy's face."

Another voice rang beside the first "Indeed."

Kūgo looked at the direction that the voices where coming from. His eyes immediately hardened when he saw the source. On the roof, was a girl in a black dress, grinning viciously, and a man in a bartender outfit, a long strap of black fabric was over is right eye as an eyepatch.

Kūgo spoke slowly and coldly "What are you doing here? Riruka" The first name was directed towards the girl "Kutsuzawa" The last name was directed at the man. I thought I told you not to follow me."

Riruka smiled "Wh-whaaat? We're comrades, not master and servant right? I don't need to listen to your orders y'know?" She then played with her hair "And y'know, you have absolutely have no skill in wooing people! Let me give it a try! I'll swoon him in a snap!"

Kutsuzawa then spoke "We were wooed by him and decided to follow him however."

Riruka turned, face darkened in anger as she shouted "Shut up Giriko! You were the only one that was wooed! I wasn't wooed, and I'm not following him either!" She then turned back to Kūgo "You know-"

"Shut up."

Kūgo's cold voice hit them from behind. The two turned their heads and saw the man with the black jacket, looking at the sky. Riruka gave him a glare that screamed for his blood. Kutsuzawa's expression remained the same.

Kūgo continued to speak "We have a problem."

Kutsuzawa responded "What is it?"

"Ichigo is traveling with someone that has powers of his own."

"Are you sure?"

"He put a gun to my head and threatened to kill me. As he did, he let his reiatsu dominate the room. And the gun had power surging in it."

"Could he be a Shinigami?"

Kūgo sighed "No. Have you ever heard of a Shinigami in these parts?"

"Then what could he be?"

"I have my suspicions." Kūgo then started to walk "Let's go."

The other two followed him. And Kūgo looked up in the sky. Thinking about Chaim, there was only one word that dominated his thoughts as it escaped from his mouth

"Blackwatch."

* * *

Far far away in a small town located in japan, known a s Karakura, saw a man walking down its streets. The man dressed strangely. His green shirt and coat looked like one from the Edo period, same with the sandals that he wore. The only modern thing about him was that of his pants and his green bucket hat, that covered most of his blonde hair and casted a shadow over his grey eyes.

The man walked, taking deep strides, without using the cane in his hand. He continued until he found himself in front of his destination. In front of him was a large clinic. The words "Kurosaki Clinic" Were above the door. Taking breath, the man walked to the door and entered.

The lobby was rather empty as usual, and there was no one at the desk. Walking to it however, the man then rang the bell, and waited. Shortly after, he was greeted by the owner of the clinic, Isshin Kurosaki.

Isshin looked worse for wear. His stubble increased and he looked rather restless. The restlessness only grew worse during all these years.

Isshin took a look at the man and Grunted "Hello Kisuke. What do you need?"

The man now identified as Kisuke said nothing at first. He tugged his hat and looked hesitant. However he quickly fought through at as he looked at Isshin, before speaking in determination

"I found him Isshin. I found Ichigo."


	4. Chapter 4

_"…Why"_

 _"Did you forget the first thing I taught you? Keep even your family at arm's length."_

 _"So all those moments… were for nothing?!"_

 _"No. They were all for this moment._ _Believe me all the time we spent was nice. But it was ultimately inconsequential to the grand scheme of things."_

 _"You *Hrk* bastard!"_

 _"Sorry Chaim, but our time ends here. Adios enterrador."_

Chaim jumped up from the bed. Sweat poured from his skin as he panted erratically, trying to catch his frantic breath. Seconds passed as his breathing started to slow. Putting his hands on his face, he started to wipe the sweat from his brow as he started to breathe normally.

Turning to the window, Chaim saw that it was magic hour. The sun faded into a crimson red as the once blue sky turned violet. An orange horizon was accompanied by wisps of clouds, as the sky became darker and darker. Chaim sighed when he realized it was almost nightfall and he slept through the entire day.

Chaim took a deep breath as his thoughts were brought back to that nightmare. He never wanted to hear those words ever again, yet he is forced to numerously relive that experience. Although they weren't constant the nightmares were also not uncommon. They helped contribute to the heavy bags underneath his eyes.

"Look who decided to wake up."

Chaim Immediately turned to see Ichigo. He was sitting in the passenger's seat, directly facing him. If he could see and wasn't wearing the blindfold, Ichigo would be looking straight at Chaim.

Chaim grunted "What time is it?"

"Around 8"

"Shit. I slept that long?"

"Yep, although I thought you were going to wake at any moment. You were tossing and turning. From the sound of it, you had a pretty bad nightmare."

"Yeah…"

Chaim turned away, silence taking over him. Ichigo simply sat attentively. He wanted to make sure Chaim was alright, but that would be prying. Chaim never pried when it came to Ichigo's problems, so Ichigo could at least return the favor.

Chaim took a long sigh before looking around, and realized that they were short one person "Where's Aine?"

"She didn't feel like cooking so she went to get some takeout."

"You let her go alone?"

Ichigo scoffed "Since when has she needed us to watch over her? She can handle any dumbass that tries to mess with her."

"I'm not worried about her engaging some random dumbass." Chaim watched as Ichigo's face shifted into one of confusion "We're leaving the city as soon as she gets back."

"So soon? We usually stay in a city for a couple of weeks."

"Well I doubt Mr. Ramen is going to stay away even after I threatened him, and I want to be as far away from him when he makes his move."

Chaim watched Ichigo carefully. His face shifted from one of confusion to one of worry. It wasn't for himself, but for Chaim.

"Are you all right Chaim?" Ichigo asked "You were about to kill that guy."

There was a long breath from Chaim as he slowly answered "I… know when someone has an agenda. That guy wasn't even trying to hide it. I don't know what exactly he wants with you Ichigo. But…" Chaim took another breath as he paused "…I know for a fact that he only wants to use you. And nothing good comes out of that."

Ichigo muttered "I… kind of figured that he was untrustworthy."

There was a heavy silence filled the van. Neither Chaim nor Ichigo moved for a few moments. They waited for the other the act and sat as the silence grew.

Chaim who was fed up of the atmosphere was the first to break the silence as he sighed in irritation. He then threw the blankets off of him and proceeded to jump off the bed. With a few steps Chaim was already in front of the chair and quickly sat down. Chaim then looked down at the table. The first thing that crept into his mind was the black card, or more importantly the absence of it. It was nowhere to be seen.

Chaim glanced at Ichigo "Where's that card?"

"We threw it in a dumpster."

"Good"

Chaim then looked back at the table. The second thing that caught his eye was the picture of Ichigo's father. Chaim was a little surprised to see it there as it was brought by that shifty bastard. Chaim immediately figured that it was forgotten or intentionally left here. The latter didn't sit well with Chaim.

Chaim picked up the picture and took a long look of Ichigo's dad. A small chuckle escaped his lips. This grabbed Ichigo's attention as he faced his friend, trademark scowl in place. Chaim caught his gaze and laughed even more.

Ichigo became irritated "Are you going to tell me what you're laughing at?"

"Oh nothing, it's just there's no doubt now why you look like a gangster. Your dad looks like some Yakuza in this picture."

Ichigo scoffed "That idiot couldn't be a Yakuza if his life depended on it."

"Isn't it a little harsh?"

"Chaim, I know Aine throws this word around a lot but my father is the definition of man-child."

"He's that bad?"

"Want to know why I always end up giving you a black eye when you touch me while I'm sleeping? It happens because he has a habit of attacking me while I'm asleep. It's built into my reflexes to attack whoever tries to wake me up."

Chaim stopped laughing as he looked at the picture "What an asshole." Anger was in his voice as the numerous memories of him being attacked for trying to wake his friend still burned in his mind.

"Yeah. I always end up kicking his ass though and he always ends up crying Karin and Yuzu."

"Your sisters?"

"Yeah, My younger sisters. They're twins."

"What are they like?"

Ichigo turned back towards Chaim, a small smile on his face "Yuzu is a crybaby, but she's also really dependable. She was the one who took over all of the house duties when mom died. Not only that, but she's a good cook."

"How good?"

"Honestly I think she's way better than Aine."

Chaim chuckled "Don't tell Aine that. She would get all jealous."

Ichigo gave a small laugh as well before continuing "As for Karin… Well she's rather distant. She doesn't like to burden people. She tends to scowl quite a bit as well."

"Like you."

"Yeah, she's kind of like me I guess."

"What about your Mother? You haven't talked about her at all."

Chaim watched as Ichigo's features darken as he looked away "She… died when I was nine."

Chaim immediately dropped any further questions regarding his mother. The subject was obviously taboo. Silence filled the room yet again. The air was filled with an awkward tension.

Chaim immediately changed the subject "Well either way you seem like you have a pretty nice family, crazy old man not considered."

"Yeah. I… miss them. I haven't seen them since I left my hometown."

"Did you tell them you were leaving?"

"No. Goat chin knew though. As soon as I walked out of the door I was greeted to him in front of me. He didn't even try to stop me however. He just told me to come back safe."

"Seems like he cares about you in his own way."

"Yeah… I'll never say it to his face but … I miss him" Ichigo's face turned to one of confusion "Why are you asking me this Chaim?"

"I just want to see what a normal family is like."

"My family is far from normal. Besides from the way you're talking, you act like like your family was even crazier."

"I honestly don't know" Chaim briefly paused as he looked at Ichigo, the latter even more confused. When Chaim continued his voice had a hint of sadness "My family died in when I was little."

Ichigo looked shock. He quickly tried to speak but no sound came out of his mouth. Instead he only sat there, not knowing what to say.

Chaim continued "After their death, somehow I found myself in a slum town. There were no orphanages in the area so all the orphans around were on the streets. Sometimes they were adopted, but there was no such hope for me. Even back then I could see ghosts so I was considered a bad omen."

Chaim looked to the floor "I felt like I was going to die in that shithole, but I was saved at the last minute." Chaim chuckled, a hint of resentment in his voice "I was saved by a man, called himself Jack. He knew what my powers were and he saw potential in me. He took me in and we traveled together. He taught me what my gift was and how to use it. And as time went on, I felt like we were family. "

Chaim then grunted, Venom dripping from his voice "But it turned out that he was nothing but a bastard, and to him I was only a pawn on the board."

Silence filled the air. And Ichigo sat in silence, digesting the information that he was given. This was the first time that he ever learned anything of Chaim's past. He would always deflect the question when anybody asked. Now here was Ichigo who was just privy to an ugly part of Chaim's life.

Unsure what to say Ichigo muttered out "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Silence then resumed. Chaim got annoyed by it and then started to speak. "Ichigo, despite all of the insults and injuries I get… I do enjoy the time I've spent travelling with you and Aine." Chaim took a deep breath as Ichigo tried to look at him "In a way… I consider you two family. I just don't want anybody to try and take that away."

Ichigo was taken aback. But before he could speak Chaim stood up.

"Chaim?"

"I need some fresh air. Don't worry, I won't wander far."

"Alright."

With that, Chaim walked to the doors and walked out of the van.

Ichigo lounged in the chair as the conversation he had with Chaim rung in his ears. One word stood out from the rest.

 _family_

Chaim wasn't the only one who thought that. Ichigo considered his two companions to be as much family as his father and sisters. Ichigo thought of the last two years he traveled with Chaim and Aine. Despite the constant traveling there was a sense of normalcy to it, even more so than when he was living at Karakura. Aine was like a little sister to him, always so dependable and mother like. She was like Yuzu in a way, although way rougher around the edges. She was always trying to look after the two by cooking for them and being a leaning shoulder in case of hardship.

And then there was Chaim. Ichigo never had a brother so he didn't know what it was like, but he was pretty sure that Chaim is the closest thing to it. Cham looked after both him and Aine in his own way. He protected them from hollows, and he always gave the two enough space to deal with their problems. Ichigo appreciated that.

They were family. Chaim and Aine were siblings as much as Karin and Yuzu were. And looking at it, he was really grateful to have such a family. They were there for him, and he was there for them.

* * *

It was nine when Aine returned to the Van with takeout. Chaim already returned from his walk. Moments later the night fell. As soon as Aine was in the van, Chaim immediately drove. There were a few protests and demands from Aine, but after she was told what was going on, she quickly closed her mouth.

The group drove on through the streets of phoenix, only stopping once for gas. There was an awkward silence as the trio didn't speak. Aine and Ichigo looked at Chaim while he focused on the road in front of him. The rectangles painted on the road whizzed by the light of the van. The van was moving so fast that the rectangles looked like they were forming one singular line.

Aine, fed up of the silence, grunted "So where are we going this time Chaim?"

Chaim grunted "I don't know."

"Well from where I'm seeing it we have one major option, Hollywood."

"That's not happening"

Aine's temper flared "Are you seriously dismissing me that fast?!"

"I'm never going to California ever again unless I drive through it nonstop."

Ichigo became curious "Why's that?"

"It's a major shithole."

"It can't be that bad."

"Well try being held hostage by some gangsters and then tell me it can't be that bad. The only place in the states worse than California is Illinois."

"So where are you thinking of going?"

Chaim sighed "Don't know. I was thinking of going to Utah. The state is relatively safe, with the population mostly consisting of Mormons and all."

Aine chimed in "Maybe we can leave the country all together and go down to Mexico."

Chaim's eyes widened, before yelling in shock "Are you crazy?!"

"What?!"

"Mexico is even worse than California."

Aine groaned "Everything to you is bad. How can Mexico be possibly worse?"

"Well one, Crime is rampant. That including kidnapping. One of cartel's favorite targets in that case is foreigners. So we gringos are liable to be kidnapped at gunpoint."

"But we have Ichigo. I'm betting he could take down 10 armed men."

"Well I'm not gambling my friend's wellbeing. And two, the whole country is on the edge of civil war."

Ichigo then rejoined the conversation "What do you mean?"

"Militias are on the rise, and they've been fighting the cartel. They've been taking the fight to the towns and cities."

"Shouldn't the Mexican government stop them?"

"The government made them legal. Not only that, but the Mexican government is completely corrupt. They've had numerous politicians fund and arm the Cartel's. Now they made the Militias legal to make the people clean up the mess they made. It's only a matter of time before the people turn their guns on the government who are responsible for all what's happened."

Ichigo sighed "The second Mexican revolution."

"Exactly."

Aine started to chuckle "Well maybe we should go. We would be a major ass kicking force, with my cleaver, your gun, and Ichigo's fists. We'd end up as grand heroes of the revolution."

Upon hearing that Chaim immediately slammed on the breaks. The van abruptly stopped only sliding a few inches from the worn down breaks. Both Aine and Ichigo were jerked violently from their seats and fell to the ground. Chaim himself was lucky that the road they stopped on was completely deserted; otherwise there would have been a rear collision.

Aine was the first to recuperate. She immediately stood up while nurturing her new bruised behind and immediately yelled

"What the hell are yo-"

Aine stopped in her tracks upon viewing the sight in front of her. Chaim was now out of the seat and standing, facing right at her. He was wearing the shadows as his face was completely covered. And just like with Stix, just like with Ginjō, He glared at Aine.

Chaim then yelled "Don't you ever fucking joke about that! A revolution isn't a picnic! It's full blown murder! People killing each other for pointless shit! A revolution is a damn atrocity!"

Aine froze, and let Chaim's anger flow through. Ichigo stayed silent, shocked at his friends outburst. This was the first time ever was truly angry at one of his friends. Aine felt that he was looking at her like an enemy.

But as quickly as it appeared, the shadow faded from Chaim's face. His glare softened to the point that his eyes widened. His jaw dropped. His face adorned a look of pure terror at the realization that a snapped at his friend.

Chaim spoke franticly "Aine…Shit! Aine listen…" He stopped himself taking short deep breaths. Seconds passed and when he finally seemed calm he spoke again "I'm sorry Aine. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just… I'm sorry."

Aine looked at Chaim with worry before finally responding "It's all right Chaim. It's alright. I'm sorry for setting you off."

Moments passed in the van. An oppressive silence took over. No one was sure where to pick up.

Ichigo was the first to speak "So Utah sounds like a nice place, don't you think Aine."

Aine nodded "Yeah it seems nice enough."

Chaim stayed silent. He simply turned around and sat back in the Driver's seat. A quick twist of the keys and a foot on the pedal, the van was moving at top speed again. The van was silent the rest of the way through. Neither Aine nor Ichigo spoke on what happened. They only looked at Chaim with worry.

The van rode on. Moments passed and road blurred by, fading from the light as the trio drove through it. Before they knew it, the trio passed the edge of the city, right into the desert. With a quick turn Chaim drove onto the lane that would merge with the highway.

Just as he was about to drive on, that all too familiar ripping sound was heard.

Chaim immediately pulled the the side of the road, and in frustration he Shouted "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Ichigo was the first to respond "What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"Another Garganta opened!"

"Are you serious?!"

"You'd think I'd joke about that? And…" Chaim stopped speaking and started to sense how many hollows were coming. Immediately his eyes widened "Damnit! It's a whole damn swarm."

"You don't have to fight them Chaim." Chaim turned to Aine as she continued to speak "We could just simply leave."

"There's no way I'd be able to do that! Imagine the chaos they are going to bring when they eat anybody driving on the highway, or the amount of people who are going to end up dead if they swarm phoenix!" Chaim banged on the dashboard "Shit!"

"So how are you going to handle this?" Chaim turned to Ichigo as he continued "Are you going to fight them right on the road?"

"No" Chaim started the car once more, and drove off the side of the road into the harsh Arizona desert. A few moments they stopped until the desert was barely visible. Chaim then stopped the car, stood up, walk over to and opened the van doors. As soon as he was about to leave he turned to his two friends

"Stay here. Whatever you do, don't come after me. You're only going to be putting yourself in harms way."

With that, Chaim walked out of the car and into the desert, ignoring the looks of his two worried friends. As he walked Chaim looked at the sky. The only thing visible in the sky was the moon, completely full. The moonlight illuminated the desert ground, being so bright that one could read the odyssey.

A few more moments of walking, Chaim suddenly stopped while still looking up in the sky. The sight he was now greeted two was the Garganta. It hovered right above him. A swarm of Hollows surrounded the large tear guarding it like a gate. And out of the gate, came more hollows like water out of a valve. A whole army of the masked beasts arrived. Each one stared at Chaim, sizing him up and licking their lips while doing so.

Chaim stopped in his tracks as he looked at the Swarm. The swarm stayed still staring at their prey. Both sides never took their eyes of each other. Tension was thick in the air as both sides were silent. The background noise of crickets chirping, and the owls hooting were far louder than the confrontation in its infant state. A cool desert wind brushed Chaim, his only comfort in the situation. The bushes swayed in the wind, and the cliché tumbleweed passed by.

In the distance was another confrontation between two rattle snakes. One was a western diamondback while the other was a Mojave. Both snakes' rattlers shook violently as they were coiled like springs poised to attack. Seconds passed, rattlers shook, and the snakes glared at each other with their forked tongues constantly hitting the air. And then they snapped like whips and lunged at each other.

At this moment all hell broke loose between Chaim and the Hollows.

The hollows charged at Chaim. Some ran like a stampede. Others dove at him like birds of prey. Chaim walked to the walked to the horde with a rather unseemly casual pace. He walked like had all the time in the world.

The hollows grew closer. Chaim kept his pace.

The hollows started to overshadow Chaim. He didn't falter.

The hollows were only a few inches from him. The few that charge leapt in the air and joined with the other hollows as they dived down towards their opponent. Only four seconds passed and they were only a few inches from their meal.

It was only then that Chaim stopped walking. With his left hand he swept his coat to the side. And in one fluid motion, he brought his left hand up towards the group of hollows. In his hand was that black 1911 of his, Pointed at the skull of the Hollow closest to him.

 _*BANG*_

The first shot went right through the skull of the hollow, causing him to immediately disintegrate. A few hollows behind the first were struck as well. Although alive, they were wounded. Each one had a hole in them other than the one in their Chests. One even had his arm missing.

 _*BANG*_

A second shot obliterated another hollow, as it ripped through numerous others. Chaim immediately pointed the gun to another's head and fired, then to another hollows head and fired. Quick succession and precise aiming, Chaim repeatedly shot the charging hollows, halting the flood.

The hollows screamed. And numerous other shots were fired from Chaim. More hollows fell dead from the terrifying gun. Some in the back still charged at Chaim, only to be decimated by a volley of fire. One hollow slipped passed that volley and rushed towards Chaim ready to eat his prey, only to meet the air, as Chaim turned at the last minute, moving his body out of the way. The hollow looked confused, while behind it was Chaim pointing his gun at the back of his head.

 _*BANG*_

The hollow disintegrated. Chaim immediately took his gun. His gun hand went across his body as if he was going to rest it on his chest, but he extended it out as the gun met its target. The gun was on the temple another hollow, jaws almost close to Chaim's neck. Chaim fired, as the hollow screamed before fading to black.

More hollows charged, and a deadly game started. Chaim with the most minimal of movement would dodge. And in single tempo he would raise his gun and fire at the attacker. It was like the parry riposte style action of a master fencer, only done in a single motion. Certain hollows would stay away, unsure whether or not to charge. When they finally decided to charge, they then felt pain as a new hole decorated their heads. Chaim shot them preemptively.

Other hollows stayed in the sky. These monsters knew that Chaim was stronger than them. However they felt it was only a matter of time before he would tire out by their numbers. Why should they charge now? Let the suicidal fools wear the man down and then they would have their prey. However their impassivity was their downfall. While in the thick of fighting, Chaim saw the monsters sitting by, and while he didn't seem to be having any trouble, they seemed like easier targets. Chaim unleashed a volley of fire at the passive hollows, each shot aimed their head. They all fell within a matter of seconds.

The battle raged on. The deadly game of cat and mouse continued, as Chaim slipped out of the maws of monsters while returning the aggression tenfold. The hollows number thinned until the stronger remained. These hollows started to use unique abilities of their own. One hollow's body split in half without any blow. Each half however would be a complete being almost completely indistinguishable from another. Then the two like beings would split into four half's, before becoming complete beings. Like the cells in the human body, the hollow had the ability of Mitosis. Sure enough, it seemed like the hollows numbers then swelled in size, even larger than the original force.

The hollow and his clones shifted, changing places constantly in a trick similar to the cup and ball. When the hollow thought he was concealed, his clones charged at Chaim. He however didn't falter, nor did his face changed. His never left the original hollow. Its only indistinguishable feature from his clones was a then stripe above his brow, faint enough that most would not see it. Chaim immediately raised his gun and fired at the hollow. His body dissolved in blackness. The charging clones all at once exploded violently. A deafening quake was heard across the desert and those that were spiritually aware would probably think that the plates deep down were scratching against eachother.

Another hollow charged shooting enough green bile to cover a car from this mouth. The bile flew at speeds far faster than anything else, and it was the first thing that Chaim had to jump out of way. The bile crashed into the ground bubbling and spitting. Smoke rose from the fluid and before long, it disappeared, but not before leaving a hole the size of a van. The hollow shot another blast of bile at Chaim. Immediately, Chaim pointed his gun to the green fluid and pulled the trigger. Whatever projectile that flew from Chaim's gun was stopped by the acid and dissolved, but the impact caused the fluid to explode and burn away like lit petrol. The shockwave almost pushed Chaim off his feet and sent certain floating hollows higher in the air.

Chaim immediately got up to see, the hollow preparing to shoot more bile. His gun hand snapped like a snake as it pointed to the hollow. The bile grew more and more in the hollows opened mouth as it seeped out. The gun fired, but for the first time, Chaim seemed like he missed. Only he wasn't truly aiming at the mask. The projectile hit the bile in the hollows mouth and set it ablaze. The explosion caused the hollows head to rip apart, before the body dissolved. The explosion hit some of the hollows around him, all were screeching as they were burned and dismembered.

The hollows stopped the charged and shrieked as they looked at Chaim. The one that they looked at as easy prey was a far bigger beast than them. Their numbers meant nothing. Chaim was too strong. It was like hyenas picking a fight with a lion, and getting mauled when the lion had enough.

What do Hyenas do when they realized the bigger beast snaps? They flee. One by one, the few hollows that survived fled, flying back into the tear. Only seconds passed until the last hollow finally fled. However Chaim never left or turned his back on the site. He never let his guard down. His hand still gripped his gun. To him the fight was not over.

Because the Garganta never mended.

In fact it tore even more. Two white hands the size of a small school, jutted forth. Each hand grabbed on a side of the Garganta, not breaking the bus sized nails that each had two rows of holes, and pull the tear until there it seemed that the entire tapestry of space would be split in half.

Chaim's eyes widened when he saw a long coned nose jut forth. Before long the face of a hollow stared out of the hole. This hollow, whose black formless body was as large as the canyons, stared at Chaim with its blood red beating eyes. Chaim knew what this beast was. He was a Gillian, the lowest class of the Menos Grande, the highest tier of hollow. However lowest class or not, it was still major threat.

"Shit!" Chaim yelled as he stared at the goliath hollow. Before he knew it, the hollow opened its mouth. Crimson energy gathered in the Gillians mouth, like the bile in earlier hollow. Chaim's eyes widened as he knew what that meant, but before he could react, red light became blinding. The Gillian released its energy in the form of a cero.

Chaim didn't think; he reacted. Instead of shooting at the hollow he shot at the ground right in front of him. This time a beam of violet energy collided with the ground and split into a 180 degree arc, like a large paper fan. The crimson energy collided with the violet. Areas where the cero did not make contact with the fan were soon found in contact with violent attack. However whatever parts the Cero did make contact with stopped the attack dead in its tracks. A few cracking sounds could be heard but the fan stayed. The cero faded a few seconds before the fan. Chaim appeared unscathed. He made an effective shield of energy.

For the first time in the whole fight Chaim looked worried. In fact he seemed frantic. He was holding his chest, taking deep breaths trying to calm his fast beating heart. A few seconds in it worked, and he shifted his eyes back on his foe. The Gillian was gathering crimson energy once more, but there was more time this round.

Chaim grunted in anger as he shouted "SCREW THIS!" With all the speed he could muster Chaim pointed his gun at the large hollow. Blue Energy gathered at the end of the barrel of his gun. Electricity danced at the muzzle.

The Gillian unleashed another cero. The blue energy at the end of Chaim's gun released as well as a thinner more refined beam. When both attacks collided, something unexpected happened. Chaim's attack split through the cero like an axe splitting through a log. It traveled all the way up the cero, dissipating the crimson energy around it, until it finally met its target, the Gillian.

A large explosion occurred near the head of the Gillian. Moments later the dust settled, and revealed the damage to the Gillian. Now besides the whole in its chest, was an even larger whole in the neck of the hollow, almost as big as the cero it made. Chaim hissed in realization, that the first time in the entire fight, he missed his mark.

His attack was not in vain however. The Gillian screeched and started to back away from his foe. Clutching the sides of the tear he enlarged, He wrapped himself with the space around him like a blanket. Seemingly he seemed to disappear, and tear in space mended, until it looked like there was no tear at all. The Garganta closed. The fight was over. Chaim won.

Chaim started taking deep breaths trying to recapture some of his stamina. Soon he wondered how much Time passed. In battle, he didn't care. The last thing that should be in your mind in the thick of battle are inconsequential things. Now that he was out of it he started to wonder.

Then his mind drifted to other things. Namely the Gillian he just fought. He cursed as he remembered that he missed the mask. The fact that the hollows head was as big as a small lake didn't help either. He finally grunted

"I'm getting Rusty."

There was a time he could kill a Gillian before it even fired a Cero. Now a Gillian was able to get the first move. He hasn't fought Menos in the last 6 years. All that he was fighting on his travels were small fries. He was way out of practice.

"I need to shape up. If something bigger comes along… We'll it's not just my life on the line anymore."

But then a curios thought crept into his mind. Why would such a swarm of hollows come out in the desert? Hollows manly avoided areas that weren't high in reiatsu. Phoenix while not completely low in reiatsu was far less in pressure than the neighboring cities. Hollows barely ever came here, and when they did it was rather low numbers. A hunting party would be about the same or less number that Chaim fought the first night here. Not only was that but the presence of a Gillian around here almost unheard of.

Now that he thought about it, the swarms timing did rather sketchy. A massive infestation like that right when Chaim and the others were about to leave, was too coincidental.

"Why in the world did they appear like…" Chaim stopped. The only thing that popped into his mind was the face of Ginjō, grinning as the shadows wrapped his face "Did he… just for… Shit!"

This had 'trap' written all over it, A way for Chaim to be discarded. With that Chaim started to pick up the pace. He didn't know if Aine and Ichigo were alright, and it just occurred to him he wouldn't be able to protect them if that bastard made his move. He needed to get to his friends before it was-

Too late. A shiver went up Chaim's spine as he felt a presence closing in on him. The presence rushed at Mach like speeds. Chaim turned swinging his gun in the area of the presence. It was too late. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the presence was already on him. The main things that stood out were brown eyes, and a scar above the forehead, before Chaim's focus shifted on a blade being brought down on him, only centimeters away from his flesh.

* * *

Sitting on the steps of the van, Aine looked at the sky. Once being crystal clear with only the moon and stars, the sky was now completely cloudy. Darks clouds obfuscated the moon, so thick that the lunar rays couldn't pierce through. The desert that was just brightly illuminated was now black as pitch.

Aine looked on seeming void in worry. Something was amiss. It seemed too long for Chaim to be away, even for fighting hollows. The other times Chaim protected them, it was like clockwork. This time time and the desert dragged on and on, and there was no sight of their companion.

Aine heard Ichigo's voice behind her "Come on Aine. You shouldn't leave the door open like that."

Aine didn't turn around "It's been too long you know."

"Yeah… I know."

"Usually, He would be back by now."

"Your right."

"You think he's in trouble?"

"I…I don't know."

Aine stood up and turned towards Ichigo, who was standing in the middle of the van

"We should go find him!"

Ichigo frowned and shook his head "No Aine we can't."

"What? Why Not?!"

"Chaim told us to stay put. And remember what he said earlier? There's too many this time."

"But he could be in danger!"

"I know that. But if we find him, what then?"

"Don't give me that! We could help him! We could-"

"Aine!" Ichigo's raised voice stopped Aine in her tracks before it lowered again "I'm worried as much as you are. But right now we wouldn't be able to help Chaim if there still are hollows around. We would be only in the way. We would make things harder for him."

Aine turned away. She sat back down in her spot and stared into the desert. Hurt and worry were etched into her face.

She then shouted "I hate not being able to do a damn thing!"

Ichigo didn't reply at all. He sat down on the passenger's seat and faced the door. Although he couldn't see, he acted like he was staring out of the door with Aine. He couldn't tell Aine what he was thinking right now. He could only whisper inaudibly to himself

"You're not the only one."

Time passed. Neither Ichigo nor Aine knew how long. They didn't even bother to check. They stared at the black, waiting for their friend. It was then Aine saw something. A less dark shadow moved in the darkness, moving closer it formed into a figure. As the figure moved closer Aine's eyes widened. It was still hazy, but that brown coat and black messy hair were unmistakable. It was Chaim.

Aine sighed in relief flashed a brief smirk at her returning companion "It's about damn time you g-"

Any words that Aine was about to say immediately left her mind. Her jaw dropped. For a moment she couldn't even speak. The sight in front of her was too much.

The person now closing in on the van was Chaim alright. However he looked like a walking corpse rather than his normal self. Blood flowed from his lips, and his eyes looked as lifeless as Ichigo's. On his chest were three cuts, each spanning his entire torso. The wounds were deep, and blood oozed from the gashes, down his leg and left a vermillion trail with the occasional puddle. He looked absolutely lifeless, as if he was a puppet shambling towards them.

Whatever kept Aine from speaking, soon faded as she shouted "CHAIM!" A splint second later, she rushed towards her grisly looking friend.

Ichigo followed suit, jumping out of the chair the moment he heard Aine's pained scream. Aine was the first to reach Chaim as she then grabbed his shoulder. The moment Aine's hand made contact, Chaim dropped, as if the force that kept him moving suddenly vanished. Aine was only barely able to keep him from falling on the ground. Ichigo grabbed him second and helped Aine lower him softly to the desert sand, his chest kept on Aine's lap.

Aine's eyes watched as Ichigo's hand moved down Chaim's body. When he felt the gashes, Ichigo's face shifted to pure horror.

Ichigo shouted "CHAIM!" There was no answer, and Chaim's eyes looked even more lifeless. Ichigo panicked "CHAIM STAY WITH US! DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF DYING!"

Ichigo kept shouting, trying to reach Chaim. This went on for what seemed like eternity. But then… something in his words did their job. Chaim's eyes grew a spark of life. They were dazed and tired, but they looked alive. A groan was heard from their friend as he looked around and saw the faces of his two friends.

Chaim tried to speak "Aine…" His voice was full of pain but he continued as he turned to Ichigo "Ichigo…"

Ichigo gave a week reply "Yeah Chaim. We're right here. Focus on us."

Aine watched on as she stared down at the man on her lap. Tears were welling up in her eyes. And as she cried, she also became puzzled as she saw the face of her friend.

Chaim was grinning. He started to chuckle, through all of the pain. He then resumed his speech.

"Heh... They didn't…get you…"

Ichigo assumed that he was talking about the hollows, not noticing what he truly meant "Of course they didn't get us."

"You two...are ok..."

"Of course we are! Don't worry about us right now! You should be focusing on yourself being ok Idiot!"

Chaim started to chuckle again. The chuckling stopped and he hissed and winced in pain. His two friends held onto him, not knowing what to do.

"Hey …Ichigo"

Ichigo didn't respond at first. Chaim's speech started to slow and become even more sluggish. His eyes started to glaze over, only for him to try and focus again. It was a desperate try for him to stay awake. Ichigo realized that Chaim needed to keep talking. If he slept, he might not wake ever again.

Ichigo started to respond but stuttered as his emotions were breaking through "Y-yeah Chaim?"

"I'm…sorry..."

"…For what?"

"For being…" His eyelids started to fall "so… damn…useless…"

Chaim's eyelids closed and he drifted from consciousness. The shouts or cries of his friends now failed to reach him. He was now sleeping, right on the edge of fading away.

* * *

Everything blurred for a while for Aine and Ichigo, and the two were not entirely sure what happened after Chaim closed his eyes. Ichigo remembered checking to see if Chaim was still breathing and panicking when it was barely audible. He remembered picking up Chaim with Aine and running to the van. He remembered Aine taking the wheel, and driving frantically back to phoenix, nearly colliding with cars as she searched for a hospital.

Aine and Ichigo were in a rather large waiting room at a local hospital. Rows of seats were all around. A vending machine was in the back; dimly lit as its lights were flickering. A Television was on in one side of the room, showing the local news; it was about a charity even or something along the lines. It was like static background noise to them. Aine was sitting down looking at the rather clean carpet. Ichigo was propped up against a wall. Above them a clock started ticking. It was now 5 in the morning, but neither of the two paid any attention. They couldn't sleep, not without knowing if their friend will pull through.

Ichigo remembered barging into the emergency room. Him and Aine both carried Chaim, each arm slung over their shoulders. He remembered the absolute shock in the frantic voices of the doctors and nurses around them as they rushed towards them, ready to help their mauled friend. Only minutes later, Chaim was rolled into the emergency room. Aine and Ichigo wanted to follow him in, but were told by the surgeons to wait out.

That was around 8 hours ago. They've been waiting to hear about his condition since.

The silence in the room was tense and oppressive. Both Aine and Ichigo kept quiet, unsure what to say. They simply waited, needing to hear to hear the condition of Chaim. Then the silence was broken as the waiting room door creaked open. Aine turned to the door and saw a doctor, a middle aged man, most likely from India with a balding head and a face that showed certain fatigue. The doctor kept walking closer to the two.

Worry in her voice Aine spoke "Doctor?" It was only then that Ichigo took notice of his presence.

The doctor gave Aine a small smile "Your friend is really lucky you know? He isn't out of the woods yet, but the fact that he was able to hold on for this long is short of a miracle."

Aine's eyes widened "He's… alive?"

"His condition just stabilized."

The tension bled out of the room. Aine and Ichigo both sighed in relief. They were expecting the worse.

Ichigo faced the doctor. Hesitation was in his voice but he forced out "Can we… see him Doctor?"

"Yes you can, follow me."

Ichigo and Aine followed the doctor out of the waiting room. They walked through the hallways of the hospital. Despite being 5 in the morning, the hospital was still bristling with doctors and nurses, each one having only a small hint of fatigue.

Only a few moments later, he two found themselves in patient room. It was rather bare, only a few chairs and one table. To Ichigo, whose sense of sound replaced his sense of sight as the dominant sense, the slow beeps of the heart monitor and hum of the oxygen machine, were the major sounds in the otherwise grave quiet room. Then piercing through those two sounds, was the sound of machine like breathing.

While it might have been hard for Ichigo to be blind, Aine wished to herself right now that she had the same disability as she looked at her bed ridden friend. Chaim was tucked into the hospital bed. Gone were his clothes, replaced by a hospital gown that covered the gauzes and tightly wrapped bandages all around his torso. Numerous tubes were sticking to his arms, as they led to the bags hanged on nearby racks. One rack held the scarlet liquid, as it ran down the tube to the vein in his wrist. Strapped to his face was an oxygen mask, helping him breath as he slept, with pain etched on his face.

Aine was frozen as she looked at Chaim. He looked so… helpless. It was like an old man who needed a caretaker. Seeing him like this stabbed her like a spear.

Ichigo however wasn't frozen as he moved forward. Despite being blind, he easily found himself hovering over Chaim in absolutely no time at all. His land lowered and in a moment he found himself touching Chaim's hand. It felt cold to the touch, like he came out of a winter wind.

Ichigo didn't move. Only two words could escape "How bad?"

The doctor sighed "I'm not going to lie. He's in rough shape. He lost a shocking amount of blood, and heart beat is rather faint."

"You said his condition stabilized."

"I did, but it is a fragile balance. Something can easily shatter it and cause him to slip. He needs a lot of intensive care."

Ichigo was silent at that. In place of him Aine then started to speak.

"When will he recover?"

The doctor sighed "I don't know. His wounds were way above my ability to heal. I needed to call a favor from a fellow compatriot who is a way more capable doctor. It was lucky that he was here in Phoenix this time. Normally he is in a different state."

"Well do you know when he will wake?"

"No. He is in a coma like state right now. It's common for people with severe wounds like his. He will wake from it, but when is anyone's guess. It could be from a few days to a year."

It was Aine's turn to stay silent. She still couldn't move as looked at Chaim. Unknown to her she was crying again. Single slivers of tears ran down her cheeks rather slowly.

The doctor looked at Ichigo and started to speak again "Sir, I know this may sound strange…" He waited until the blindfolded man faced him before continuing "But my friend said he wanted to speak to you."

Ichigo looked puzzled "Why?"

"I don't know. He can be a bit of an odd one. He wanted to speak to you alone in this room." The doctor turned to Aine "Would you please follow me out?"

Aine didn't move at first. She turned to Ichigo. And as if he knew that she was looking at him for his approval, he turned to righto her position. He gave a single nod. Aine gave a nod back, acting as if Ichigo could see. Ichigo then heard to pairs of feet leave the room, followed by the slow closing of the door, snapping of the latch.

Ichigo stood still, hovering over Chaim. Time passed, Ichigo didn't know how long, while the ambient sounds were the only noise in the room. The constant beeping of the heart monitor seemed like music to Ichigo's ears. Besides the machine like breathing that Chaim was doing through the oxygen mask, the heart monitor was proof. It was proof that his friend was still alive.

Not before long, Ichigo heard the door creak open. Slowly afterwards, a pair of footsteps crept into the room. The person walking in was trying their best to be as non-confrontational as possible. Ichigo turned around and faced the person, trying to be as normal as possible despite the blindfold.

Ichigo was the first to speak "So I'm guessing that you were the one wanting to speak to me?"

"You are correct."

Ichigo became puzzled when he heard that voice. It was cold, but something about it hit a sense of familiarity. Although for the life of him, Ichigo couldn't put his finger on it.

"So you have a name?"

The stranger didn't answer the question. Instead he replied with something completely different "I was shocked to see you standing in the waiting room. I thought that I would never have seen you again."

"What are you-"

"You have changed little in those four years. While the blindfold is a new touch, your orange hair and scowl are still the same even after such a long period of time."

Ichigo was unnerved and raised his voice "Enough of this! Are you going to tell me who you are now?!"

The voice seemed unfazed. Only a single sigh left his lips as he then finally answered his question.

"Ryūken Ishida."

The blindfold hid Ichigo's expression as his eyes now widened. He felt like he was struck by lightning. Ishida. That was a name he did not expect to hear.

Ichigo tried to then act more composed as he spoke "Ishida- san."

If Ichigo's eyesight was working he would have known who the man was immediately. Ryūken was an average heighted figure, who looked rather fit. The most distinguished feature of the man is his white hair which is parted down the middle. He wore glasses that covered his narrow blue eyes.

With the same demeanor Ryūken spoke "It's been a while. It's good to see that you have put on weight again."

Ichigo winced at that. He remembered those few weeks after… _that,_ that he went to the hospital a few times because his lack of appetite.

Silence took over. Ishida didn't respond and Ichigo didn't know how to pick up the conversation after that. The only thing that came to him as a way to break the silence was the news on Uryuu that he was told by Mizuiro.

"I heard that Uryuu is now a fashion designer."

Ryūken sounded like he didn't care "So have I."

"What? You sound don't really know what's happening with him."

"I haven't spoken to him for these last four years Ichigo."

The conversation stopped and Ichigo showed shock on his face.

"What happened?"

Ryūken sighed "Shortly after you left, we had a dispute. Or it was more like he had a tantrum like a child. The next day, I noticed that he and a mismatch of clothes were missing. I found a note in his room but didn't read it. It was obvious what happened."

Ichigo seemed taken aback at the tale. Deciding that it was best to change the subject, he then asked

"So why are you here?"

"I moved out of japan after Uryuu left. I was in the area for a conference on new surgical techniques, when I hear a distress message from my friend about a patient that was way above his abilities, your friend right there."

"So you saved him." Ichigo heard no reply but he knew the answer "Thank you..."

Ryūken grunted in response, a rather subtle acknowledgment of Ichigo's thanks. Unsure how to respond Ichigo kept quiet. The silence returned, and stayed more a few moments before Ryūken grunted again.

"So what have you been doing these last four years?"

The question took Ichigo off guard but he responded "Mostly wandering aimlessly."

There was silence again; however it ended as swiftly as it began.

"How is your vision?"

Ichigo was taken back from the question "What?! What are yo-"

Ryūken interrupted "Or to be more specific. Are you still blind?"

Ichigo was speechless for a moment. In fact he felt like he was punched in the face "You know?"

"I've known for a long time Ichigo. I'm guessing that's why you wear that blindfold, to hide your eyes."

Ichigo didn't respond to that instead he asked "How long?"

"Since the first time you came to my hospital. Isshin was the one who told me."

Ichigo felt numb in his face. That last sentence struck him like lightning. He was silent for a minute, while the color left his face. His skin tingled and contacted, making small bumps on his body.

"Goat Chin knew?"

Ryūken pushed his glasses up "He was the first one to. Isshin might act like a child but he picks up on the condition of his children, even if they try to hide it. You still showed signs, no matter how hard you tried not to."

"…He never said anything…"

"He couldn't."

Ichigo looked confused "What do you mean he couldnt?"

"He knew you were going to leave Ichigo." Ryūken paid no mind to Ichigo's speechless face and continued "He saw the pain that you went through while staying in Karakura. He knew that you _needed_ to go. That if you didn't, you wouldn't heal."

"That doesn't explain why he couldn't say anything."

"If he said anything, it might have kept you in Karakura. He needed to send you off, but If he showed any worry it might have anchored you there. That's why you left so early wasn't it, because you couldn't bear to hear the pleas not to go by the others?"

"…Yeah…"

"Despite acting like a clown, Isshin is your father. He wants you to be happy, even if it's away from him."

Ichigo stayed silent. Ryūken stared silently at the boy. He analyzed every feature he could of Ichigo, trying to figure out what he was thinking. None would know if he was successful.

Ryūken spoke again "Let me repeat the question. How is your vision?"

Ichigo broke out of his daze "Well, I can only see darkness right now so... Not good."

Suddenly the soft sound of careful footprints invaded Ichigo's ears. Before he knew it there were two hands on his shoulders, carefully put as not to startle him.

"Is it alright if I check?"

Ichigo said nothing, only nodded. Ryūken then slowly lifted his hands off of Ichigo's shoulders and went behind his head. Each hand grabbed one end of the blindfold's knot. A quick tug and the knot was undone with no effort, being held in one of Ryūken's hands. Ryūken g Ichigo's dead man eyes, giving no reaction to how it was far more noticeable than those first few weeks, before pulling out a small flashlight and turning it on.

Each eye was under the light as Ryūken then scanned with his own reaction. There was a hint of emotion in Ryūken face, as he caught something in his examination. That quickly faded however. He returned the flashlight to his pocket before opened Ichigo's hand, placing the blindfold in the palm.

Ryūken then gave his medical opinion "Your eyes are still reacting to light. The problem must be that your brain can't or won't receive any of its messages. Most likely, you're blindness is a form of mental shock from the events of what happened. Your vision will probably return on its own, though when, is anyone's guess."

Ichigo put on the blindfold again before responding "Its fine. I've already gotten used to it." The silenced returned. Ichigo however was the first to break it as he asked "Is this all that you wanted to meet for, to check up on me?"

Ryūken said nothing first. He took his gaze off of Ichigo. His eyes wandered very little and found itself on the slumbering man behind Ichigo. Ryūken then looked at Chaim long and hard. If one other was there, they would have saw a hint of recognition in Ryūken's eyes. Although from where, Ryūken did not know.

"I heard the story that you gave to the police about what happened to your friend. I want to know the real story."

Ichigo remembered the event that Ryūken was talking about. Shortly after Chaim was wheeled off into the emergency room; the police arrived, called by one of the doctors. They asked both Ichigo and Aine what happened with such intensity, that both felt like they were being crossed examined in court. The both gave the same lie of driving out of the city and stopping when they heard a loud noise. They claimed Chaim went to check it out and returned like that. It seemed like the police bought into the lie as they shortly left.

Ichigo gave Ryūken an accusing look "What makes you think that what I said isn't true?"

"It doesn't seem like a coincidence that you bring to a hospital a man with Reiatsu residue all over his wounds and on the night a Garganta opened with a swarm of hollows flooding out."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. For a moment he was going to ask how he knew, but then he stopped. Ryūken was one of _them_ after all. With a sigh he responded.

"Chaim has his own powers, though what they are I have no Idea so don't ask. We just left the city and were almost on the freeway when the Garganta opened. Chaim drove into the desert and left us to go deal with the hollows. When he returned… it was like what you saw on the table."

Ryūken said nothing at first. He walked past Ichigo to by his side. He now hovered over Chaim, the man who was now the subject of their conversation.

Ichigo seemed annoyed and asked "Are You going to tell me why you are asking about that?"

Ichigo was met with silence. A tick mark could be seen on his head and he was very close to forgetting where he was and shouting. And soon as he opened his mouth, Ryūken interrupted him.

"What do you think attacked your friend?"

Anger faded from Ichigo, replaced by confusion Ichigo turned to the man at his side "What do you mean? It was a hollow wasn't it?"

"It wasn't."

Ichigo's confusion grew tenfold "It wasn't?"

"While gruesome, the wounds on your friends' body are too clean for any average hollow. An Arrancar maybe be able to inflict them but there weren't any that came through the Garganta. I would have known."

"What do you mean 'too clean'?"

"They were caused by a sword."

Ichigo was lost in thought for a moment. Then his face shifted into one of terror "You don't mean-"

"It wasn't a Shinigami either." Ryūken knew what Ichigo was thinking "The reiatsu residue around your friends wound was completely different. Not only that, but Shinigami do not operate here in America."

Ichigo seemed relieved for a second, but then confusion returned "Then what was it?"

"I don't know. The reiatsu residue around your friends wounds…" Ryūken sighed "To be honest it's questionable whether it even should be called 'Reiatsu'. It was a type I never touched before. It was also far different than your friends which is also unknown to me."

Ichigo looked lost for words "What do you mean"

"This is merely a hypothesis, but I imagine the attacker has a power that is unknown to us. It isn't known to us, and is Human." He continued, ignoring the expression of shock Ichigo gave "And rather that of a Shinigami or whatever power your wounded friend wields, It is closer to the abilities that your old friends Orihimie and Sado possess."

Ichigo seemed lost but thinking still the same "But why-"

"I wasn't finished. On top of that there is the Garganta to consider as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you know that there was a Gillian amongst that horde of hollows your friend fought?"

"Not until now. Is there something strange about that?"

"While hollow attacks aren't uncommon in Phoenix, a menos appearing here is almost unheard off."

The gears were turning in Ichigo's head, but no conclusions were drawn yet. He then asked

"What are you getting at?"

"Did you forget? There are ways to draw hollows to one location. You already saw the effects of the hollow bait Uryuu used, but that was only one technique of many."

Ichigo started to draw conclusions. All of them were horrifying.

"Isn't more than just a coincidence that the moment you try to leave the city, a menos appears?"

Ichigo had to muster all of his wits to force out his next sentence "You don't mean…"

"Someone wanted to keep you here in Phoenix, and to eliminate your friend. They almost succeeded too, if not for your friends surprising will to live. Someone has plans for you Ichigo, and your friend was in the way."

Ichigo felt the blood rush out of his face when hearing that. The next few seconds he kept trying to figure out whom. Every time he tried, he kept hearing the same words ring in his head.

 _"I'm Kūgo Ginjō. Contact me if you need me."_

The silence was oppressive, and was only broken when Ryūken sighed.

"Be careful Ichigo. You might be too valuable to whoever wants you, but your friends obviously aren't."

Ryūken started to walk away from the door. He only stopped when Ichigo shouted

"Wait!"

Knowing what he was about to say. Ryūken never gave him a chance to respond.

"Do not worry Ichigo. I will not tell anybody from Karakura about your whereabouts."

With that Ryūken left the room, closing the door behind him. The major noise in the room once again was the heart monitor.

Ichigo felt a fire burning in his chest, stretching down to his legs. The fire gave him energy enough to charge out of the room. He found himself running, through the long halls passing doctor and patient alike. He ran and ran until he was no longer in the hospital but know out into the industrial lit city. The dark was slowly starting to break, the blue before dawn starting to replace it.

Ichigo found himself bending over, leaning on one of the outside walls. Heavy pants could be heard coming from him. His sudden drive to run greatly taxed him, enough where he lost his breath.

Ichigo still felt heat in his chest. It was pure anger, not only directed at the bastard who attacked his friend but also at himself. He remembered those last words Chaim said before passing into sleep.

 _"For being… so… damn…useless…"_

"That's my line damn it!" Ichigo yelled bitterly to himself as slammed his fist into the concrete wall beside him, not caring if his knuckles were crushed. Ichigo felt nothing but powerless. His friend was being attacked because of him, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. He couldn't protect anyone for these 4 years. The image of Tatsuki, the girl that haunted Ichigo's dreams, pierced into mind."

No matter what Mizuiro said to try to sway Ichigo otherwise, Tatsuki died because of Ichigo. And Chaim almost died because him. He couldn't stand that possibility.

Ichigo reached into his pocket of his jacket. A second passed until produced the Item that he was searching for, the black card that Ginjō gave him. He lied when he said that he threw it away. For some reason he couldn't bear to do such a thing.

Whether he was was the one who Slashed Chaim was up for debate, but Ginjō was involved with what happened, some way or another . He obviously had an agenda for Ichigo, but right now, Ichigo could care less. He couldn't let another friend die because of him. He couldn't put anyone else in harm's way. To him, being a used by whatever means was better than his friends being attacked.

Ichigo walked back into the hospital. He approached the front desk and handed the receptionist the card before asking

"Can I use your phone? And can you tell me the number on this card?"

The receptionist agreed and slowly said the number as Ichigo entered it into the phone and handed the card back to him. Ichigo then took back the card and put the phone to his ears while the dial tone rang. The dial tone hummed for what seemed to be a long amount of time until during mid ring, it was cut.

 _"You have reached 'XCUTION'…"_

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER: I have no problems with California, Illinois and Mexico. This is fiction and therefore what Chaim said about the three places is ficticious as well.**

 **Over 10,000 words, around 25 pages if it was in print format, this is the most I've written on a chapter.**

 **I've had this done for a while but I decided to refrain from uploading until I had the next chapter for The Dark Shinigami finished.**

 **These chapters are getting longer, and while I had a problem with them being long in the past, I decided that I am not going worry about their length… Well at least until they get up to 90 pages or more.**

 **Till next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

" _Attention Passengers, we will be arriving at our destination shortly. Please be seated and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you."_

And it was right then after the announcement voiced on the airplane speakers, that Bryce Paterson started to wake, and slowly opened his dirty green eyes. The first thing that entered his vision was one of clouds passing by as the wing in his view cut right through them, taking a few wispy particles only for them to dissipate a few seconds afterwards. The cloud that was cut through however looked exactly the same, as if the plane never passed through.

And down below through the clouds was a large city, with large skyscrapers that nearly reached the clouds. The city was an impressive labyrinth, one that showed how beautiful mankind could be if they put their mind to it. The towers of steel and glass looked even more beautiful however as rays from the mid-day sun shone down on them, causing the buildings to glisten and shimmer as if the sunlight was on water.

However, no matter how beautiful the scenery was below him, Bryce's face turned sour.

'Damn it!' he thought 'Mid-day? I'm going to have some horrible jetlag'

Bryce then put his hand over his mouth as it contorted into a yawn. He wanted to stretch as well but he resisted that urge. The plane was way too small to stand up and stretch. His head nearly touched the roof when he was in the aisle. Bryce shook his head at that thought. It wasn't that the plane was too small; it was that he was too tall. At a height of 6'5 Bryce towered over most people.

His build didn't didn't help either; while he wasn't overly muscular like a Vin diesel type, Bryce still had delts, like a more bulkier Charles Bronson. And that ensured that he had a killer right hook. If he stretched out, He was likely to knock somebody out accidentally, especially the nice lady besides him.

A soft voice then felled Bryce's left ear "Bryce, they said to buckle your seatbelt."

Bryce then chuckled "I'll get right on it mom"

While He heard a snicker coming from his left, Bryce then turned to the owner of the soft voice. She was beautiful with long black hair and striking blue eyes. She was in her mid-forties, yet time didn't ravage her like most women her age with wrinkles and long faces. She wore a business suit that complemented her figure.

When they first met the woman introduced herself as Collie. She talked to him throughout the ride (one of the very few to do so in his lifetime) and he returned the favor. He remembered small attempts at flattering her the first hour or so. She smiled but insisted that she was married, had a child, and that Bryce was too young for her. Bryce simply waved the insinuation off, claiming that it was simple flattery and nothing more. His eyes widened a moment later when she returned the flattery, claiming that his short brown shaggy hair and heavy stubble made him handsome in a roguish way.

Soon after he laughed at that, and they talked for a good couple of hours. Then Bryce had a little too much whisky and went into sleep for the remainder of the flight.

The beginning turbulence shook Bryce from his thoughts. He then looked back to collie and gave a small smile.

"Well Collie…" He spoke "I think this is where it ends."

Collie gave a smile back "Not necessarily, you said that it was your first time to phoenix, yes?"

"Yep, first time in Arizona actually."

"Well I could show you around the city, help you get your bearings, you did say your job was making stay here for a while."

Bryce's smile shifted to a grin "Are you asking me on a date."

"Bryce, I told you that I am married"

Bryce simply chuckled "Relax, I'm joking. Listen Collie, I appreciate the gesture. I really do. But it's best if I get straight to the office. I want to get done with this job as quick as possible."

"Because of-"

Bryce interrupted her with nothing but a nod. They went silent for a while. The turbulence grew, and Bryce looked out the window, to see the plane descend down ever closer to landing strip. Only moments later, the landing gear of the plane collided with the runway, causing the passengers to jerk from the force. The now grounded plane started to slowly move until it successfully aligned with the loading gate.

And then the intercom had rung again.

 _"Attention passengers, we have now successfully landed. Please collect your personal belongings, get in an orderly line and walk through the exit. Thank you for flying with delta airlines. We hope that you fly with us again."_

And with that both Bryce and Collie unbuckled their safety belts and stood up. Both looked at each other for a moment, before Collie extended her hand towards Bryce.

"It was a pleasure flying with you Bryce" She said with the most charming smile on her face "You are very sweet and I hope my son grows up to be like you."

Bryce chuckled at the way she said that. It was with the most sincerity, that it would melt most people's hearts.

Bryce then took her hand "Thanks for the complement, but your kid should grow up to be someone respectable."

"Well he should groom himself at the least."

Bryce laughed at that before he shook her hand "It was a pleasure Collie, Your husband and Son are lucky men to have you in their lives."

She blushed at that, before withdrawing her hand. Collie then walked into the aisle, Turned back to her seat, and unlocked the cabinet above to get a small bag, before joining the shrinking line. Bryce then walked to the cabinet and took his travel pack before following suit.

* * *

One of the best things of traveling light was that you could breeze through customs as quick as possible. Bryce always loved this as he was already in the lobby with his pack in hand. Stopping for a brief minute, Bryce then put his hand into the pocket of his jacket. The jacket fit Bryce well enough but if worn by anyone shorter, it could pass off as a trench coat. It looked Identical to the one that Max Payne wore. Oh how Bryce used to love that game, not only because of its gameplay but also because it was once his favorite detective stories, currently being beaten out by Dirty harry. Now however, the game hit a little too close to home.

As Bryce lifted his hand his pocket he pulled out a packet of cigarettes. They were a soft pack and were half full. With a soft motion Bryce tapped the pack against his free hand, and stuck out just enough for him to pull it out with his mouth. Bryce bit down on the cigarette with just enough force to keep it from falling out. He didn't light it however. Instead with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, Bryce exited the airport lobby and walked into the streets of phoenix.

The street in front of the airport was filled with cars, from shuttles taking passengers to hotels to numerous cabs passing by. Bryce stood at the edge of the road and as soon as a cab was bound to pass by, he raised his hand. Soon after, he caught the attention of a cab that slowed down and stopped right next to him.

Bryce opened the back door to the cab, but didn't enter. Instead he leaned into the cab and asked

"Is it alright if I smoke?"

The driver, a middle aged man wearing a cap, turned around with a smirk on his face and a half burnt cigar in his hand.

"You kidding?" the man asked with a thick Haitian accent. "You can smoke all you want in here. Get in."

Bryce smiled at that, and he soon found himself throwing his pack into the back as he sat down and closed the door.

"Where to?" the driver asked

"Phoenix City Hall"

The driver nodded as he spoke "Gotcha" and only a few moments after did the Cab move at a leisurely speed.

The first few moments were incredibly silent. And as the driver looked in the back mirror, his eyes caught the glint of a lighter pulled from Bryce's jacket. It was an incredibly decorative work, shining like brass and with multiple engravings. It was highly exquisite but not in a tacky way. It didn't look like the fake cheap 20 dollar 'luxurious' lighters that you get get in a gas station, bought by schoolgirls and pimps who wore green gold with their dressed up drugstore quality canes. This looked like the real thing, a lighter for a Rockefeller.

So any normal person like the driver would immediately wonder how a person like Bryce got such a beautiful lighter. Bryce who besides his jacket wore a mismatched outfit of a light blue dress shirt and black dress pants, both with spots of worn white, held up the lighter to his mouth as reddish flame joined with the end of his cigarette. He wasn't showing it off, wasn't exhibiting any unwarranted arrogance when using the lighter. Anyone could see that he was using it like it was a cheap plastic lighter.

And while Bryce didn't notice, that seemed to piss off the driver even more.

The driver spoke "Where you get that lighter?"

Bryce now putting the piece of brass away simply shrugged "Family Heirloom."

"Must be one hell of a family."

Bryce shook his head "Not anymore."

The bitterness that was in Bryce's voice was subtle enough that it was lost the driver.

"Maybe you should be taking better care of it then"

The atmosphere changed immediately, and in the middle of the rear view mirror, the driver only saw glaring green eyes, now as hard as jade, fixated upon him. A chill was felt in the small cab, but somehow the driver started to sweat, as he tried and failed to look away from Bryce.

Bryce then grunted "The way how I treat this piece of bronze plated shit is my own Damn Business."

The driver said nothing, he only nodded and looked away. Bryce then shook his head before gripping his forehead. He forgot that People always reacted different to his usage of the grand lighter. Some would feel relieved, while others would even feel more insulted that a man with a lighter seemingly crafted for royalty would be used so ineffectually.

The cab was filled only by the sounds of the stereo. Bryce didn't even bother to notice what was on, it being just background noise to the man. Instead Bryce looked outside the window at the streets of phoenix, taking in the buildings and the passerby's, the dances, the fights between drunkards, the worn houses and brick buildings that were shadows of that long ago time back when they were pristine. Even with the closed door and the radio blaring, Bryce could still hear the outside sounds, laughter and sorrow, anger and bitterness, bliss and terror. These sounds were carried by the wind the cab cut through. And more so than the radio, these sounds acted as a lullaby for Bryce as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

It wasn't a deep sleep or not even a true sleep. No Bryce lost that luxury to the nightmares long ago. What Bryce was in was the edge of sleep, close enough to drift away yet still retaining an amount of consciousness and alertness. In this state he let the thoughts roll over him like a gentle wave, thoughts and memories, memories of fights and relations, of friends and enemies, and above all…

…of her.

Bryce's eyes immediately opened and he muttered to himself "Shit. I forgot to call." Before reaching into his jacket and picking out a worn and beaten smartphone with scratches and cracks in the screen. Bryce then scrolled through his contacts before finding the name in his mind.

Hitting the call button, Bryce put the phone up to his ear. The phone rang once, twice, three times, before Bryce heard a voice on the other end.

 _"The number you are calling is currently unavailable. Please check the number and try again"._

'Are you kidding me?'

Bryce hit the recall button. The call rang three times again, and yet again Bryce heard:

 _"The number you are calling-"_

Bryce immediately disconnected as he yelled in his head 'Don't start this shit with me right now! One last time'

For a third time Bryce called the number, and unlike the other times, this one rang once before going through.

There was no voice on the other line, no background noise or feedback. Bryce was met with only silence. It was enough for Bryce however, as he knew the person on the other end would have never been the first one to talk.

It was then that Bryce sighed before speaking "Hey, I got off the plane only a couple of minutes ago."

Bryce was met with silence; he ignored it and continued to speak

"It wouldn't kill you to say hello when you answer you know, let alone pick up the phone faster."

He was still met with silence.

"Listen, I'm going right to the office…"

Bryce stopped for a minute and awaited a response, as usual to get none. Bryce then sighed and then continued

"I don't know how long this is going to be, but I'm going to try and get it over with as quick as possible. Hopefully I'll be back soon to take care of you.

It was finally then that a stoic female voice could be heard on the other line

"Do not concern yourself with me. I can take care of myself."

And with that Bryce was soon met with three beeps to inform him that the call disconnected. He sighed before putting the phone back into his pocket.

'Take care of yourself my ass' Bryce thought to himself.

And before he could think any further, Bryce heard the Driver ask him

"That your girlfriend?"

Bryce looked immediately disgusted as he turned to the driver and replied "Hell no, we're related."

"Oh sister then?"

"You can say that." Bryce felt awkward with the way it came out and felt even more awkward with the driver's confused look. But he knew that she would hate it if he called her sister outright. It would make her feel like she lost a part of her identity.

"So why'd you leave her alone?"

"Work"

"Police work?"

Bryce raised an eyebrow "How'd you know?"

The driver grinned "I've had a hundred cops come in and out of my cab. The detectives always look haggard, like they've seen the worst shit." The driver's grin fell and for a moment he looked worried before he continued "No offence but you got that look."

"You don't know the half of it."

"So where are you from Detective?"

"Boston"

The driver's eyes widened "Really? So what brings a Boston detective out to Arizona."

"I don't know the details. Just that the police here have a case that they can't solve, so my _brilliant_ boss decided that it was a good idea to send me here to lend a helping hand."

He probably shouldn't have been insulting his boss behind his back. The man was one of the very few that understood Bryce's plight though they never talked about it. Being there was enough for Bryce. But right now Bryce felt nothing but resentment at the man, for transferring him here no matter how temporary it was. There were plenty of other detectives that could take care of whatever case he was assigned to, and Bryce had priorities to stay in Boston. He should be back home talking care of 'her' and the trauma she went through.

"You know…" The driver looked worried when hearing Bryce's words "You're not giving me confidence in the Pheonix PD."

"Oh they're not stupid; it's just that they're short on men right now for the case to be solved, so they need more heads on it."

The driver looked relieved "OK then, you had me worried. So what case is it?"

"I don't know, I was told I would get the details when I got here."

"Come on, you must at least know something."

Then the driver found himself staring at those jade hard eyes yet again in the rearview mirror, and found himself sweating once more.

"I told you I don't know…" Bryce spat out "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you. That is the kind of information not to be told to a civy."

"Ok then…" The driver could only mutter out as he looked back on the road.

The hardness in Bryce's eyes faded once again, and he found himself clutching his forehead while sighing. He berated himself for the way he treated the driver. Today wasn't the best of days, and that is when he usually loses his temper.

"Look man…" Bryce waited for the driver to look at him before continuing "I'm not trying to be a dick, I just had a long flight and have a hangover due to too much airline booze."

The driver gave a small grin "Don't worry about it man. I just get too nosy. I'll be quiet for the rest of the trip if it helps you sleep."

Bryce nodded "Thanks for that."

Bryce put his head back and closed his eyes, entering that sad excuse of an attempt that was the closest he ever got to sleep. The cries of the wind merged with the static radio, creating a lullaby of some sorts for Bryce, a lullaby for the lost. His thoughts washed over him again, swaying his mind from one memory to another. Thoughts of her crept back, the most dominate. Then memories of companions swept by, some dead, others lost like him. And before long, his mind drifted to image of one man, a man with black hair and as unkempt as Bryce himself.

Bryce opened his eyes as he focused and the thought of that man. He was a more than a friend to Bryce. He was a brother in bloodstained arms. Bryce thought of the plight that he and his 'sister' went through the past years. He was sure that it paled in comparison to what that man had to go through. For that man was damned, and Bryce always thought that his damnation was so undeserved.

As he thought of that man, Bryce fought the uneasiness in his stomach. He thought it was the whisky from the airplane at first, but Bryce quickly dismissed that false comfort. For what Bryce felt was a sense of foreboding as he thought of his comrade that he hadn't seen in years, an discomforting feeling as if he was to be dragged into something bloody yet again.

Bryce closed his eyes, his stomach churning and skin crawling as if he was on the edge of a great storm, and He tried to shake the thoughts of being sucked into it by the winds.

And it was then that he understood a little of why his boss sent him here.

* * *

Ichigo walked the streets of Phoenix, down to the hospital. The sun was starting to set and the sky was melding the hues of violet and orange. Ichigo was gone for longer than he like. He wondered if he was going to get a lashing from Aine for being away for so long. He pushed those thoughts away and continued the path.

Today was eventful for Ichigo to say the least. After contacting Ginjō, Ichigo was told the meet the next day at 8:00 at an old apartment complex in a far older part of the city. When the next day came he told Aine that he was going out for a while. She didn't respond. Ichigo started to walk out of the room only to hear her ask

 _"Are you going to be ok?"_

Aine's voice was quavered for a bit, as it was filled with worry. Ichigo said nothing, only exiting the hospital room. A pang of guilt hit him, but he didn't know what to say.

Finding the place was difficult. He got got by fine wandering without a destination. Now with destination set, he couldn't find it for the life of him. Many times did he ask for directions and many times did he lose his way. Ichigo's blindness was an obvious hindrance trying to find the way.

The last person he asked decided just to drive him to the spot. When Ichigo asked the time he discovered he was three minutes early, a relief for him. Ichigo stood in front of the apartment complex waiting for Ginjō, when he heard a voice behind him.

 _"Yo."_

Ichigo turned to the direction where the voice came from. He was met with the sound of footsteps in a slow leisurely gait, no hurry in the person as he took his time. Ichigo knew that this was Ginjō.

Ginjō attempted to small talk, commenting about how he was early. Ichigo however would not have any of it as he shouted

" _Listen! If I get involved if whatever you're planning, promise that you'll stop attacking them!"_

Ichigo was met with silence for a moment. Then he was given the most gracious reply from Ginjō.

 _"…What?"_

That's when the accusations happened. Ichigo shouted for Ginjō not to play dumb, stating that it was obvious that he attacked Chaim. Ginjō for his part claimed ignorance of what Ichigo was talking about and asked what happened. Ichigo didn't trust that the man in front of him was telling the truth but indulged him anyways and relayed what happened to Chaim.

Ginjō kept silent afterwards, only then to walk past Ichigo as he told the blindfolded man to follow him. Ichigo followed and walked into the apartment complex, into an elevator, and into what he was described to as a bar. He was then introduced to three people, a bartender named Giriko Kutsuzawa, a woman named Jackie Tristan, and a young boy named Yukio Hans Vorarlberna.

That was when Ginjō explained everything. He explained that he as well as everyone else had certain abilities. He talked about how everything living and non-living had a soul, especially tools. And that Ginjō as well as the rest of the group had the ability to pull those souls out and use them to enhance their abilities. If they were accustomed to a tool they could change its form.

Ginjō called the ability Fullbring, and explained that the reason Xcution had such power was because hollows attacked the parents of each member, and traces of the hollows power remained after each attack. The traces then transferred to the members during birth, giving the fullbringers their abilities.

Ginjō then claimed that Ichigo had a dormant fullbring inside of him. Xcution then claimed that their goal was to awaken Ichigo's fullbring. They brought up other powers that Ichigo once had. And if they were to awaken his fullbring and recover his lost power, they could transfer their Fullbrings which they purely loathed to Ichigo.

Ichigo wasn't sure what to believe. It was true he once had powers of his own, that he sacrificed years ago, but he wasn't sure to trust them. Things seemed to convenient for this trap. And there was something about Ginjō. His voice always seemed furtive, like he never gave you the full story. He came of as beguiling. It felt at times like Ichigo was going to be played.

But at the same time Ichigo thought that it would be better that way. If xcution continued to focus their attention on him, they would most likely leave Aine and Chaim alone. Aine couldn't see ghosts fully and Chaim was in no condition to fight. They shouldn't be looked as a threat if Ichigo played along.

And just on the off chance, that these people were honest, that they were really planning on helping Ichigo regain his powers, that he would be able to sense ghosts again and deal with hollows. That would mean that Ichigo wouldn't have to be helpless anymore. He wouldn't have to sit on the sidelines as his friend fought.

His thoughts drifted to Chaim. How the trio took care of each other was complicated to explain. While there was no official leader, Chaim was somewhat of the one in charge as he managed the money and found ways to make enough to get by. Aine was the one who dealt with the food. And Ichigo was strictly security. When it came to the world of the living, Ichigo would fight any thug that dare threatened the safety of his friends, Aine would occasionally join in as well. However when it came to spirits and hollows, Chaim saw to that as he was the only one in the group that could fight them. The three took after each other in their own way.

But if Ichigo could awaken his fullbring, if he could recover his powers, then he could make sure that what happened to Chaim would never happen again. He could fight alongside his friend and protect him, have his back during the worst.

And he wouldn't have to hold a friend bloodied in his arms again for a third time. He couldn't bear to have that again.

The sound of heavy footsteps broke Ichigo from his thoughts, and as the footsteps continued Ichigo tried to suppress a sigh. Soon after Ginjō explained the plan of Xcution, a girl by the name of Riruka Dokugamine barged into the building. And with her was an old friend of Ichigo's, the same old friend that could be heard following him now.

Finally exasperated, Ichigo said "You don't need to follow me Chad. You know where I'm going."

The only reply that Ichigo got was a subdued grunt which caused him to sigh. For the friend that was walking behind Ichigo was Sado Yasutora, otherwise known as his nickname Chad that was given to him by Ichigo. He was a mountain of a man, towering over the already tall Ichigo easily and His tanned muscle looking like it was cut from the hardest Mexican stone. His shaggy brown hair came down to his eyes but was parted so he could see and his chin sported thick stubble. Sado wore unusual attire, a black coat with a fur lined hood over a Hawaiian shirt and some jeans.

Ichigo shook his head. Ever since their reunion, Chad would be constantly following behind Ichigo. Though Ichigo couldn't see, he he felt that Chad was constantly watching every move he made as well. It may have been because Ichigo was now blind, and Chad thought that the orange hair man was more helpless now therefore needing extra protection. Chad was always like that Ichigo, the two having each other's backs during fights too numerous to count.

Or perhaps it was due to Ichigo's departure all those years ago. Ichigo ran his palm down his face. He knew later on that him leaving without telling anyone probably might of angered or hurt a few, although at that time he was in such a state that he just had to leave. Ichigo could only guess that Chad was keeping an eye on him making sure he wouldn't leave again, that if he lost sight of the orange haired man he would never see him again.

Ichigo sighed at that. He wondered if Chad was angry at him for leaving in the first place. There must be at least some lingering resentment. Ichigo couldn't have that.

"Listen…" Ichigo was barely able to mutter out "I'm sorry for leaving. I just had to get out of that place."

"…Its fine."

For a moment Ichigo doubted that it really was. But there was no anger or animosity in Chads voice, and that was assuring. It was like him not to hold grudges.

"But seriously I'm not going anywhere for the time being so you don't have to shadow me like that. Besides, aren't you supposed to be touring with your band?"

There was silence and for a brief moment Ichigo wished that he still had his sight to see Chads reaction. He expected a quick stunned response with the question of how he knew that.

Instead the response he was given was brief.

"We're on Hiatus."

Ichigo sighed, wondering why he was expecting any different. It was like Chad to be brief and to the point. He always was a man of few words.

"How has it been going on with your band anyways?" He asked

"Good"

"You finally make an album?" Ichigo was given a grunt in confirmation "Has it sold well?"

"We've made platinum."

The words froze Ichigo's legs and despite how he couldn't see, he still turned behind to face Chad.

"You Serious?!"

"I am."

"Damn!" Ichigo was left near speechless. It didn't also help that Chad said it as if it was no small feat "You must be rolling in cash now."

"I'm well off."

A small smile graced Ichigo's lips "Good. I'm glad you're doing so well."

There was moment of silence between the two as they stood there, nearly frozen in time. Unknown to Ichigo, at that moment his blindness was a blessing. For Chads expression was that of worry and sadness as his gaze was fixed upon the orange hair man.

Before long, Ichigo resumed his trek as he continued to walk towards the hospital. Chad followed him very closely as if the massive half Mexican was his shadow. Time passed and the two continued to walk, Ichigo gliding through crowd and crowd from and street to street with no difficulty despite his loss of vision.

Before long the two found themselves walking right through the hospital and despite being there for less than two days, Ichigo knew the route like it was second Nature. He walked through hallway to elevator, pressing the right button without a second glance only waiting until Chad walked in. The sight itself would wow most passerby's if they knew of the secret behind the blindfold. And chad looked on his emotions difficult to read.

As the elevator stopped Ichigo continued walk the shortly recognized path, and quickly both he and chad found themselves in Ichigo's destination, the hospital room that housed his comatose friend.

Aine was there, sitting right at the bedside, her head draped over Chaim as she joined him in sleep. The sound of footsteps caused her to stir. Slowly she rose, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned and started to to turn to the two, her eyes falling on Ichigo first.

"Oh Ichigo" Her voice was quiet muffled as she finished yawning "About time you came back. How did everything g-"

Her words died on her lips as her eyes fell on the giant. Her eyes shot wide open as she fully woke in an instant. And before long she nearly shouted

"Who the hell is that?!"

Ichigo was dumbfounded first at her reaction before eventually sighing. Of course she was going to act like that with everything that happened.

He pointed at chad as he answered "He's an old Friend of mine. Chad Yasutora."

Aine raised an eyebrow "Who the hell has the name Chad Yasutora?"

Chad was the one who responded "Its Sado Yasutora. Ichigo calls me Chad."

"Why would he even do that?"

"It's easier to remember."

Ichigo grimaced at that. Chad nearly brought up his inability to remember names. He didn't have any issue with remembering Chaim or Aine's names as they travelled together so he thought that he finally jumped that hurdle. Still it was pretty embarrassing since he was teased by his old friends for that trait of his.

Hopefully Aine wouldn't pursue what Chad meant by that.

"How is that easier to remember? It has the same amount of letters."

Her question caused Ichigo to break into a cold sweat. And to his horror Chad was beginning to respond.

"Ichigo is terrible when-"

"HOLD IT!"

Ichigo's shout filled the room, stopping Chad from finishing his sentence. Aine then looked at her friend with hint confusion in her eyes as she saw him taking a deep breath. Her first response was a sigh.

"How do you even know him?"

Ichigo shook himself from his daze "We've been friends since middle school."

Aine took a glance at the Giant "Are you kidding me? He doesn't even look Japanese."

"He's half Japanese and half Mexican."

Aine raised an eyebrow "Half Japanese half Mexican? That's the weirdest combination that I've ever heard of."

"Not as weird as a Chinese Irish woman."

Aine started to glare at Ichigo even know she knew he couldn't see it.

"Shut up!"

Venom dripped from her mouth as she looked away. And upon hearing her reaction Ichigo sighed. He felt a little guilty, forgetting not to bring up her mixed heritage. Even though it was meant to be banter he remembered that her mixed heritage was a source of contention for her. What little pieces they got from her life back at the orphanage showed that she never felt like she fit in due to it.

Ichigo grumbled "Sorry."

There was no response. Aine only sighed in response as she turned back to face Ichigo before finally asking

"So why is he even here?"

"He just followed me."

"And how did you two meet up?"

"We just ran into each other on the street." Ichigo came up with the quickest lie he could think of. It was best that Aine didn't get involved lest she become a target as well.

"Is that right?" Her voice was laden with suspicion. It was obvious that she didn't buy it. And yet she did not pursue the matter anymore. Instead she sighed once more.

It was quiet for a few moments. Ichigo then turned to Chad. There were no words spoken between the two. As if Chad knew what Ichigo was thinking, he walked out of the room closing the door behind him. Now it was only Ichigo and Aine.

Before long, Ichigo walked over to the hospital bed, right beside Aine who was now standing. His head hung low, as if he was trying to look at Chaim despite his inability to see.

"How is he?" He asked.

"You don't want to know."

Her voice was faint, barely a murmur as if she didn't expect Ichigo to hear. Only he did.

"Aine…" He pleaded "Please…"

Aine looked away from him "He always looks in pain Ichigo." She was barely able to get out "Sometimes he gives a small wince. Other times he grits his teeth. It's like he is in a nightmare he can't wake up from."

Ichigo noticed the pain in Aine's voice and before he knew it, his hand stretched out touching her cheek. The slight wetness confirmed what he was thinking. Aine was crying.

He tried to comfort her "Hey, don't cry."

"Why not? Everything is my fault."

"What are you talking about? Nothing is your fault."

"Don't bullshit me!"

As Aine shouted she stood straight up and Ichigo's hand fell from her cheeks. More tears streamed from her face as she began to shout.

"It's all because I said to listen to that guy's request! The one with the Ramen!"

"You think he's the one behind it?"

"Isn't it obvious? Chaim threatens to kill the man and then a few hours later he's cut to ribbons!" He voice lowered as she shook uncontrollably. Her voice also began to waiver. "If I didn't say anything and let Chaim kick him out of the van this would have never happened. We don't even know if he will pull through because of-"

Before she could even finish, Aine felt two strong hands on her shoulders. As she looked upon Ichigo his head was lowered as if he was looking at her even though he couldn't.

"Don't even finish that thought." Ichigo said gently "He will pull through, as long as we're with him. We can't doubt him. And you don't know whether it was that man or not. It could have been anyone." He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. "Do not blame yourself Aine. He wouldn't want that."

Before long he felt two hands wrap around him and felt her head bury into his chest. He dropped his arms and hugged in embrace as Aine sobbed, staining Ichigo's shirt in tears.

"I hate it" she whimpered "I hate being so helpless about the whole situation, not being able to do a damn thing."

"I do to Aine… I do too."

Those words were genuine, as that pain was one that Ichigo was all too familiar with. The two stood there in embrace. The only noise in the room besides the sounds of hospital equipment was that of Aine sobbing. Ichigo held on to her, lifting one hand to pat her on the head. A nostalgic feeling washed over him as he comforted the girl. It reminded him all too much of when he comforted both Karin and Yuzu. There was longing in his heart to see those two again, but he wasn't ready to return to home.

Aine then broke from the hug; her hand went to her face as she wiped the tears away. For a moment she stared at her friend, a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

"Thanks for that… I'm um… going to go out for a while."

Ichigo only nodded in response. He opened his mouth but before he could say anything Aine was already out of the room leaving the door wide open.

Ichigo then stood silent in the room, right next to his sleeping friend. His hand instinctively reached out to grasp Chaim's. Just like the day before, Chaim felt cold. Ichigo hated that feeling and hated the groans of pain he heard escape from Chaim's lips as he slept.

The sound of heavy footsteps caused him to turn toward the door pointlessly. He knew it was Chad. The tall man walked forward to Ichigo stopping at his side. No noise was heard from him, no words, not a grunt or sigh.

"Sorry" Ichigo spoke softly "Aine can be a little crass." The only response he received was a grunt, yet this one seemed different, distracted. "Is something wrong?" He was given another grunt and before long he realized that Chad must be looking at his injured friend.

Ichigo nearly smacked himself on the head "You want to know who he is right?" The silence gave him conformation "Sorry" he then pointed at Chaim "This is Chaim. I've been travelling with him and the other for a couple of years now."

"What happened?"

The question caught Ichigo off guard for a moment, before realized that would be the most obvious question.

Ichigo finally answered "He was attacked a few days ago. I think it might have been Kūgo or one of the full bringers."

Chad turned towards his friend "You sure?"

"Not really. Kūgo claimed he didn't do it but he's really suspicious."

"So what are you going to do?"

Ichigo faced his friend and shrugged "Play along for now. If they are serious about me getting my powers back then that's good. Otherwise…" His head hung low "I'm at least keeping attention on me and not the other two."

There was silence between the two after that, only broken when Chad asked

"How'd you meet?"

A small smile formed on his face "We all met on the same day. I bumped into Chaim and we got into a shouting match before I decked him in the face and walked off. As I did, I heard screams from Aine as she was pleading for help."

"What happened?"

"A hollow attacked her orphanage. It was getting ready to eat her before I stepped in. The next thing I know my fists are flying as she's shouting off directions as to where the hollow is on account that I can't see it."

"She can see them?"

"No…" Ichigo shook his head, "Only the outlines. Well we put up a half decent fight and I get few punches in, but in the end I get knocked off my ass and from what Aine was screaming, the hollow was getting ready to eat me."

He then turned his head back towards Chaim "Then this idiot shows up screaming at me about a rematch. Both me and Aine tell him to get out of there and the hollow starts creeping in on him. Next thing we know, He's shouting at the hollow and getting into an argument with it. Then he kills it."

Chad raised his brow "Killed it? Does that mean-"

"Yeah" Ichigo answered the question before it was finished "He has powers."

"Shinigami?"

Ichigo shook his head "No he isn't."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that he uses a gun."

"You never asked?"

"I did the moment after we knew the hollow was dead. He never answered…" Ichigo's head dropped low "He sounded like he was in pain just thinking about it, so I never pressed it."

Chad said nothing. Silence returned between the two, but Ichigo had a question that popped into his head as he turned back to his Chad.

"Why do you want to know so much about him?"

"No reason."

Chad sounded the same as he was before, making Ichigo feel as if his curiosity rather than anything serious. Ichigo decided instead to drop it as his head turned. But if Ichigo were to see, he would have felt differently. For while Chads voice might have not betrayed him, his face did. Though he tried not to show it there was a look of recognition in his eyes as he looked at the sleeping man, the same look that Ryūken showed when he gazed upon the man while talking to Ichigo, and the same look of recognition that Keigo and Mizuiro showed when they stared at Chaim in the café.

As if they saw Chaim before somehow in their lives.

* * *

The day after Ichigo walked through the streets of Phoenix as the sun blazed on him. Not to long after their talk, Chad left saying that he was going back to his hotel room. He also stated that he would be there with Ichigo the next day; Though Ichigo hadn't encountered his old friend at all throughout the day. As he walked, miraculously bypassing all of the people crossing his path. He found himself having a hard time to focus. His skin crawled into goosebumps and there was welling in his chest.

This was the day, the day he would start training to awaken his full bring. He was told to meet at a specific location that wasn't the hideout of Xcution. Just like finding their headquarters finding this location was a pain. There were numerous times that he asked for Directions and there were multiple times he lost his way.

He caught the swelling in his chest and mentally berated himself for acting this way, kept saying not to get his hopes up. And yet he still felt his heart rising. There was a small slimmer of hope in his heart, hope that Kūgo wasn't planning on deceiving him, hope that he really was going to regain his Shinigami powers. That hope grew and grew.

And yet there was also apprehension. His distrust of the full bringers hadn't left his mind, and Chaim's warnings still rang in his ears. His mind kept telling him to keep his hopes down, that they might have agenda for him, the cold logic of his brain constantly telling him what was probably going to happen.

And yet he still found himself hoping. Just maybe… Just maybe they were telling the truth, that they wished for their powers to leave and that Ichigo was the only one that could help them.

That thought stuck in Ichigo's mind.

Ichigo then sighed, trying to shake himself from his thoughts. It didn't help to think of things like this right now. He should be focusing on getting to the place. He continued to walk, occasionally asking for directions to the place.

Finally there was one person who was able to put him onto the right path.

"You're not far off. Take the next turn right and walk until you get to a small bar called 'Debs'. Afterwards take another turn right down a smaller road and keep going down that. When you hear stalling truck engines, you've gotten around there."

"Thanks" Ichigo walked past the man and waved over his shoulder

"Don't mention it pal."

Ichigo continued to walk, turning right as the man said. But as he continued to walk, he didn't notice that he was being observed. He probably couldn't have noticed even if he could see. For his observer was not on the earth but on a building looking down upon him. When Ichigo would walk farther away, the observer would jump from building to building across distances that would seem impossible. But surprisingly that wasn't the most unusual thing about the stalker.

No, the most unusual thing about the stalker was that it wasn't even human.

What followed Ichigo was a black cat, with golden eyes filled with thought.

* * *

Ichigo continued down the small road that would inevitably lead to his destination. Yet the road seemed to go on for hours. He hadn't heard the hums of truck engines. In fact he hadn't heard any engines whatsoever as he walked down the road. He barely heard anything, only the chirping of birds and the crackling of insects. A few flies and mosquitos passed him as he continued to walk.

And as he walked he grew more and more impatient. He wondered how long this would take, wondered if he took the right turn. He wondered if he was even given the right information in the first place. That the guy that gave him the directions wasn't mistaken or _worse_ , deliberately give him the wrong information like the few people before him because they were punk kids that thought it was funny to screw with a traveler that had lost his way.

And as he was about to finally shout in frustration of how long this was taking, he finally heard the hum of engine motors off in the distance. The sound was enough to keep him going on the road drawing closer to it. As he did, the hum grew louder, obviously belonging to an engine of a semi.

Ichigo sighed in relief. He finally made it to his destination, though if he saw what the place was he would have raised his eyebrows. The place was a storage complex. Large grey buildings dotted the complex as numerous red garage doors were the only way in an out. On each of the doors was a number. Each door had a pad lock on them. Some were cheap freebies given by the company that were more of a placebo for the renter. Others were extravagant, clearly expensive for one that wanted more security. The place itself seemed worse for wear as if it wasn't maintained. Numerous cracks could be seen in the walls only patched with rubber caulk in a haphazard attempt so that the company could save money.

As Ichigo approached the place he heard Ginjō's voice calling out to him.

"Yo."

Ichigo turned to the direction of the voice and walked towards it. Before long he was only inches away from the man in question.

Kūgo continued "You're early again."

"Luckily." Ichigo scoffed "Do you have to make the places we meet so damn hard to find?"

"Hard? I thought it was pretty easy to find these places."

"Not for someone who can't see!"

"Can't see?" Kūgo was silent for a minute before it dawned on him "Wait… You're blind?"

"You didn't realize that when you saw me without the blindfold?"

Kūgo scratched the back of his head "I didn't put the two together. So that's why you wear the blindfold, to hide your eyes."

Ichigo shook his head "Lets hurry up and get this over with." He didn't try and show it, but it was obvious that he was feeling uncomfortable with the way Kūgo said that.

Kūgo sighed before turning around and walking into the complex, Ichigo following behind.

"What sort of place did you bring me to anyway?"

"A storage complex."

Ichigo's eyes widened behind the blindfold "A storage complex?! What the hell are we here for?!"

"You got a complaint?"

"I thought we were training! You're going to do something to give me back my powers right?"

"Keep it down."

Ichigo had to restrain himself from shouting. He felt as if he was being scolded. The two then walked in silence as they continued on. They stopped before long. Kūgo was in front of one of the storage unit doors. Opening it quick he then turned to Ichigo before speaking

"Get in."

Ichigo didn't say anything. He just walked in as he was told all the way at the back of the unit. There was barely anything in there, only a few shelves and a table. Kūgo then walked in, and then turned on a light hanging from the ceiling before sliding the door down. Minutes passed and the two found themselves sitting in a near unbearable awkward silence.

Kūgo muttered to himself "They're late."

"What you say?"

"Nothing. More importantly, I need to ask you something.

"About what?"

"You're friend, the one who got attacked…"

"You mean the one that threatened to kill you"

"Yeah"

"What about him?"

"Who exactly is he?"

Ichigo sighed "I don't know."

Kūgo raised an eyebrow "You don't know?"

"He never really went on about his past." Ichigo explained. That was mostly true minus the tragic story of his childhood and the bastard named Jack, but that wasn't Important "That was a piece of him he locked up tight."

"And you never asked?"

"He never pried into my personal life. I figured it was fair to return the favor."

"I see" Kūgo went silent for a moment "Anyways, we are training."

"In a storage unit?" Ichigo's voice was filled with skepticism "If we're going to train, we need some place with a lot more space."

"We will train in a place with more space!"

The new voice was accompanied by a bang and the sound of the door sliding up once more. The noise caused Ichigo to turn his attention back to the door. Inside the doorway was Riruka, wearing her attire of a white hat over her magenta hair in two pigtails and a black dress. If Ichigo could see, he would have seen her opening the door with her feet decked in her knee high boots. She was carrying a box that looked like a dollhouse though Ichigo couldn't see what it was.

Standing right next to her was Yukio. The blonde hair boy wore a black cap and suit with a white cravat. On his ears were headphones and in his hand was a portable game. The sounds of the game he was playing notified Ichigo of his presence.

Ichigo faced the two before speaking "You're late."

"Eh?" Riruka nearly screamed in an indignant manner "Unlike you I have a job to take care of, Stupid!"

Kūgo chimed in "What are talking about? You're on vacation."

"Quiet Ginjō!"

"Riruka" Yukio started to chime in as he didn't look up from his game "Can you stop opening the door with your foot? Every time you do, you give everyone a clear shot of your panties and I don't want to see that."

Riruka turned towards the boy. "EH?" Her eyes narrowed at him even when he didn't care enough to look back at her. "Since when did you start talking down to me like that Yukio? What, because we have a guest over you're thinking 'the atmosphere's changed a little so maybe I can talk like this'!"

She then pointed at the boy as she howled "You think that you, a creep that plays videogames all day, can speak on an equal level with me?! Don't make me laugh! I've never thought of you as an equal ally, not now not ever!"

It was only then did Yukio look up towards her. He lifted one of his headphones from his ear and asked.

"Can you start from the beginning one more time?!"

Riruka exploded in anger "EH?! YUKIO SINCE WHEN-"

Before she could continue two hands clasped over her mouth. And a new voice was heard.

"You don't need to."

The woman who covered Riruka's mouth was none other than Jackie Tristran, the dark skinned beauty in a brown dress shirt and white trousers.

Before Jackie could hold on any more, Riruka ripped herself from Jackie's clasp, nearly hitting her with the box if the woman didn't take a step back.

"GET OFF ME JACKIE!" She shouted

Jackie rose up her hands "Fine fine. Just explain the box to Ichigo."

"Alright shut up! I don't need you to tell me!" She then turned towards Ichigo "Why are you still standing around there! Hurry up and get over here so I can explain this to you!"

Ichigo groaned "Why am I getting yelled at?"

Never the less, he started walking towards her. As he walked forward, Riruka started to blush heavily.

She then shouted with her hand in front of her "WAIT!" When Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks she continued "You're actually fine there! Don't take another step!"

Ichigo could only deadpan "What the hell is up with this woman?!"

She then dropped her box on a table in the storage unit. And a proud smile adorned her face.

"Look at this box!"

For a moment Ichigo feel a vein pop in his head before he responded

"Does it look like I can see?!"

Riruka was taken aback "Well then take off blindfold!"

"It wouldn't solve anything if I did!"

"What do yo-"

"He's blind"

All heads except Ichigo's turned to look at Kūgo after said that. Soon after they looked at the blind folded man various, analyzing him as they stared at his face.

"Shame for you then" Riruka sighed "It's a really cute box." That proud smile returned "You should be happy though! This cute box is a training facility for you!"

Ichigo completely dumbfounded could only respond with

"What?"

Riruka's face fell "That's all you need to know. You'll se…" She stopped herself "You'll experience it all soon." Her smile returned though. She then dug her fingernails into her thumb and rubbed the two digits together, yet she never stopped smiling.

If Ichigo could see what she was known doing he would have raised an eyebrow. Out of her palm, a small heart formed that started to levitate in the air.

"My Fullbring is 'Doll House'. If I think something is 'cute' or 'awesome', then I can freely insert and remove things and people from it."

The heart then shot forth, fluttering in the air as it made its way towards Ichigo. The heart came into contact with his jacket right at his heat, and fused to it as if it was always there. While Ichigo couldn't see what happened he certainly felt it as he instinctively touched his jacket trying to find what touched him.

He was broken from his search however when Riruka spoke once more.

"That thing is your pass." She put her finger towards one of the windows on her box. Green fire slipped from her finger towards the window. "You can go in now. I _permit_ you."

Ichigo looked confused "Permit? What are you-"

But before he could finish, Ichigo warped and changed into a stream of pink energy and shot straight forward to the house, entering through the window. As it entered, the stream caused a gust of air that blew Riruka's pigtails up. The box flexed and warped from the force. Its walls bulged for a moment as if it couldn't take it. And as the last of the stream entered, the lid of the box blew right off before falling right back on.

And even though he didn't know it, Ichigo had taken his first steps into another long journey.

* * *

 **AN: It's been a while since I updated this. I have been working on this chapter for the year in one form or another, but now I finally finished it.**

 **There has been one thing on my mind though when working on this story and that is how to handle events. I have a lot more OC's planned for this story and I'm wondering if I should just skip through most of Ichigo's training (although add to the important parts) or actually write all of it down. I'm assuming that you know what happens in the manga so I am pushing towards the former.**

 **Till next time.**


	6. UPDATE! DISCONTINUED!

Both stories are now discontinued.

This may seem sudden but I feel that I have wasted my years away.

I am sorry if this upsets you. I am not even satisfied with ending them as there is still so much I want to do with them.

But I cant keep letting my life pass me by like it has the last couple of years.


End file.
